The Cryopod
by FijiApple
Summary: Four operatives are sent on a mission to defend a cryopod. But when the pod unexpectedly and inexplicably opens earlier, the Warframe from within leads the four on an unforgettable adventure.
1. Chapter 1

Another impatient question came from the other side of the comms.

"Yes, we're here, Bob."

"Fucking Bob..."

" _I heard that. Eyes on target?_ " Bob's voice came from the other side of the radio.

"Not yet, just calm down Bob."

"Fucking Bob..."

The four male Tenno operatives ascended a series of metal staircases, pulling themselves up with effort. Their weapons slung over their shoulders. Then, their eyes widened; they found it.

The cryopod, the _mission_.

The four had been sent on a seemingly easy extraction mission in the barren deserts of the scorching red planet; Mars. In theory, the group would finish their mission without breaking a sweat, extract within 15 minutes of finding the cryopod, and enjoy a comfortable meal right after.

And within the old cryopod, the dormant Warframe lying still. Obscured by thick, frosted glass.

The red sands of Mars blew by the squad as they neared the cryopod.

"We have eyes on the prize."

" _Good, just wait for extraction_."

"What does _this_ do?" A Tenno operative in a white suit pointed at a yellow button on a nearby Grineer console, seemingly ready to press it.

"No! God damn it Steve!" Another Tenno operative dressed in the standard blue rushed forward, slapping Steve's arm away.

"Who invited him..." Trey muttered, walking away.

"So...can I press it?" Steve asked, his finger hovering above the glowing button yet again.

"NO!" Trey exclaimed, slapping Steve's arm again.

"Why not?"

"Cause it's Grineer technology. And you know what they say about Grineer tech; it's meant for destruction! Heard about what happened to Franco?"

Steve shook his head.

"Guy accidentally cut his dick off mishandling an Atterax," Trey continued.

"Wow..." Steve muttered.

"Why are _we_ the ones training him Grett?" Trey looked at an operative in a red suit.

Grett shrugged, pointing at the last Tenno operative. The man was dressed in a black suit, a deadly Strun shotgun over his shoulder as he crouched near the cryopod, observing the ancient technology intently.

"Er, Felon? You alright?"

Felon nodded hastily.

Aside from the colours, nothing distinguished the operatives from one another as they all wore the standard Tenno operative suits; the clothes the people guarding Relays wore. But the colours were not just for show, they reflected something.

Experience.

White; beginner, Steve Owen.

Blue; acceptable, Trey Logan.

Red; experienced, Grett Hugh.

Black; expert, Felon Vaus.

The colorful squad formed a circle around the cryopod, lazily observing the Grineer settlement as their guns remained slung over their shoulders in their deep slumber. The sun shining over them only grew more relentless as the heat became more aching each second.

"So...why us again?" Trey yawned, scratching his head as he stretched.

"Because we were the closest to this planet," Felon clarified.

"No, we get _that_. But why _us_?" Grett insisted.

"Because command wants us to train this guy right here," Felon replied, pointing at Steve. The man in white was playing with his Sybaris Rifle; flicking the lever repeatedly, like a kid with his toys.

The three sighed in unison.

"I mean...there's _nothing_ here. Bob said this was an _abandoned_ Grineer base. So no Grineer, no Corpus, thank God for no Infested...heard about what happened to Yurey?" Trey started.

"Yeah, poor guy. 2 days to retirement and then he got converted."

Felon shook his head lightly.

"Mate of mine had to put him down himself, what a shame."

" _ETA 15 minutes to extraction. Just sit tight guys. P_ _reliminary scans show no signs of activity near you, should be a breeze for..._ " Bob slowed to a silent stop; only his cold breath could be heard over the comms now.

"Bob? Haha, real funny," Felon quipped.

"Can I press the button?" Steve asked, _again_.

"NO!" the three exclaimed together, annoyed, diverting their attention back to the silent Bob.

" _...guys? There's movement on the radar,_ " Bob stuttered.

The four observed their helmet's display; and Bob was right. Their radar beeped slowly, showing red arrows that were converging on their current location. Though the hostile units were moving like snails; they would _eventually_ reach here.

Fear was only added as the number of dots that appeared on the radar increased in a blink. More of their enemies were coming.

The squad breathed.

"Can we get out of here in time?" Steve asked, panicking. Probably the only proper question the man has had so far.

" _Negative. Extraction comes in 14 minutes, but by our calculations...they'll converge on your location in the next 5._ "

The squad got to work fast.

Trey pulled something out of his bag; remote explosives. The man placed the charges at every doorway, every path leading to the cryopod. An audible beep was heard as the explosives were set; a deadly red light shining. The man then buried the bombs under the dry, grainy sand of Mars, silently praying that they would work.

Felon walked over to the cryopod, expertly tapping in a few commands and activating the shield generators. A blue energy lining danced on the cryopod as the shields were activated, the pod ready for the beating it may receive.

Grett rushed over to every doorway, working alongside Trey as he laid out automatic turrets that were ready to decorate any with energy bullets. He then covered the dormant turrets underneath coarse sand; like seeds of a plant that would eventually sprout.

Steve sneaked over to the button, eager to push it as a grin was formed on his face.

"Steve, I swear I will knock you out cold and let Kela De Thaym rape you," Felon threatened, still tapping buttons on the cryopod's console.

Steve swallowed, his arm now retracted.

"Good," Felon concluded.

Felon snatched Steve by the arm, pinning both of them to the ground and hiding them both under a blanket of sand. Grett and Trey did the same, lying still as a rock under their own grainy mountain.

The scene around the cryopod became nothing but a tensed silence, as if no one had been here, as if nothing was here.

The dry winds blew by.

Steve coughed.

Felon slapped him, shushing the amateur.

"Sorry...choking on sand here," Steve complained.

"Shut up and stop moving," Felon asserted.

"Now what?" Steve inquired, curious.

"We wait."


	2. Chapter 2

_Footsteps._

The four's hearts beat faster and harder with each footstep heard. Whomever the squad were facing were getting closer as the footsteps only got louder and louder. It sounded like they were going to have _a lot_ of company.

A command was heard as the soldiers arrived at the noiseless scene.

"There's the skoom! Get to work."

At least the Grineer commander's raspy voice reassured the four of them that they weren't facing the dreaded Infestation.

The Grineer soldiers approached the cryopod on the circular platform, muscles tensing as those with guns held them firmer and those with shields raised them higher. They watched over the dormant Warframe vigilantly.

"3...2..." Trey silently counted.

"1."

Trey pressed a button.

A deafening boom was heard as all the explosive charges were set off instantly, covering the scene in a jet black fog that danced around the cryopod. The ground violently shook as the air above turned into flames that consumed the Grineer soldiers alive; leaving behind charred bodies that crumbled away.

"Heads up!" The Grineer commander ordered.

The remaining Grineer troops raised their Grakatas as their muzzles pointed in all directions, the guns prepared to riddle anyone with bullets. The Lancer's fingers were placed on their triggers, ready to fire.

The smoke cleared.

"Go!" Trey whispered to the operative lying next to him.

Grett pressed a button.

The buried turrets came to life, popping out of the sand and the barrels pointed outwards. Clicks were heard as ammunition was loaded and the muzzles were locked onto the Grineer soldiers.

And the turrets fired.

"Argh!" Grineer soldiers yelled under their dying breaths.

Energy bullets darted their way out of the steaming muzzles and hit the soldiers with pinpoint accuracy, decorating the bodies with bullet holes. One by one, the soldiers fell to the floor, nothing but a puddle of blood streaming out of their corpses. After one was dead, the turrets turned to another unfortunate victim, riddling their victims with bullets again. The deadly cycle then repeated.

"Now!" Felon shouted.

The four Tenno operatives rose from the sand swiftly; as if they had been buried for centuries. Streams of sand flowed down their bodies as they pointed their guns at the Grineer soldiers who were taken aback. They then pulled their triggers without hesitation.

Still, they were incomparable to the invulnerable Warframes. The operatives had to duck behind thick covers of metal, shooting their guns as rounds were constantly emptied.

Grett sat behind a metal cover, breathing heavily as he reloaded his Tenora with a spin, glancing at Trey who was firing his Baza rifle by his side.

"Yeah, real smart of you bringing a silent rifle to this occasion," Grett remarked.

Grett raised his hands over the cover, firing his Tenora again as another Lancer became nothing but dead.

"They won't even know I'm here!" Trey yelled over the deafening sounds of bullets.

Grett looked at his partner; a disgusted frown on his face.

"You're _right next_ to me!"

Trey stopped firing, as if he needed a moment to take in Grett's comment; to reconsider his life's decisions.

"Alright, you have a point."

The two returned back to the gunfight, side by side.

* * *

"Watch out," Felon calmly said, forcefully pushing Steve out of the way.

Before Steve could retort, a visible bullet shot through the empty air; where his head once was.

"Thanks!"

Felon fired back, his Strun punching a crimson hole into a soldier's stomach as cloned flesh flew off like crumbs.

"You're welcome."

Another shot from his shotgun, another soldier dead.

Although nothing but a beginner, Steve's accuracy was appreciated as each shot the man pushed out from his Sybaris rifle drilled two neat holes into a soldier's chest, leaving a stream of red that poured out of corpses.

Despite their training and will, the operatives were still severely outnumbered as Grineer soldiers constantly streamed in; when one died he was easily replaced by another who stepped foot into the scene. The turrets that Grett had painfully set up were nothing but junk metal now as they sparked lifelessly; dead because of Grineer bullets.

It was only a matter of time before the operatives ran out of bullets _and_ ideas; having to surrender to the never-ending flood of soldiers.

They had to think of something, fast.

Steve crouched back under the cover, reloading his Sybaris.

A yellow, glowing button at the corner of his eye caught his attention.

He stared intently at the button he was once so persistent on pushing.

"...Grineer tech; it's meant for destruction..." Trey's comment flashed past his mind.

A smart smirk was formed on the operative's face.

Felon tapped Steve on the shoulder; as if he had to wake Steve up from a dreamy sleep.

"Hey, Snow White, you gonna help out or what?"

Felon blindly pointed his Strun behind him, and pulled the trigger. An Elite Lancer's body fell lifelessly behind the man soon after.

"I am!" Steve chirped.

Steve rushed out of the metal cover he was hiding behind, sprinting to the glowing button.

"Wait! What?!"

Felon stretched his arm out, trying to catch and drag Steve back; but the idiot was too fast. He ran out of Felon's reach and was now in full sight of every single person.

Dressing in a snow white suit was probably not the best idea for this occasion as the running Steve grabbed every man's attention.

"What the fuck?" Trey exclaimed.

"Man's crazy!" Grett shouted.

A glowing pair of Grineer eyes in the distance locked onto the man in a bright white costume.

He traced Steve with his Grakata.

And fired.

Steve stretched his arm out, the button was right _there_.

A Grineer bullet punched through Steve; making the man in the bright suit trip over from the unbearable pain. Fortunately, before he slipped, his hand slapped the button at the last instant, activating whatever the button was connected to.

The ground rumbled.

Gunfire ceased as everyone present was unsure of what followed Steve's foolish actions.

Steve dragged himself back to cover; hiding under the Grineer console.

The yellow button; now red, was pressed. Metal was shook as Grineer soldiers unsteadily stood their ground.

An audible reloading was heard; surrounding the battle site.

A deafening silence filled the still air.

A combination of Mordda Turrets and Akkalak Turrets rose from their slumber; circular platforms opening as the turrets rose from the depths. The barrels of the Akkalak Turrets spun, ready to fire. Missiles were locked and loaded in the Mordda Turrets.

"Get down!" Felon bellowed.

The operatives all ducked, lying as close as they could to their covers, hiding for their dear lives. Unfortunately for the Grineer, no orders were given as the wide-eyed soldiers stared at the turrets, shocked, unsure of what to do as their bodies shivered coldly while the turrets turned to face the stunned soldiers.

Their own technology did not recognize them.

Their own technology turned on them.

The Akkalak Turrets fired; riddling the scene with bullets as the ground cracked with every heavy shell that landed. Grineer bodies were split apart as large bullets punched through bodies repeatedly, darting through the corpses and leaving behind a pool of crimson red that was only boiled by missiles from the Mordda Turrets. The rockets hit whatever they could; even lifeless metal that had been deemed hostile. The explosions roasted everything in the vicinity, leaving behind blackened, crumbling bodies.

The Grineer commander witnessed the horrific, bloody scene; watching his troops being drilled apart by thick bullets or blown to smithereens by missiles with his mouth agape. He fumbled around his pouch, carelessly whipping out a transponder with his shivering hand and sending out a message; a message for help. He then looked up; an Akkalak Turret was facing him.

The commander had a resigned frown on his face.

"Oh."

The turret fired, splitting his cloned body apart. The transponder fell to the floor; the message successfully sent.

A flurry of bullets and rockets continued to shoot out of the turrets as the scene was blanketed in hardened Grineer shells.

* * *

" _Gu...guys? You guys fine?_ " Bob asked, gritting his teeth.

A cloud of smoke surrounded the battle site as the scene returned back to a dead silent.

An ocean of blood streamed all around the cryopod; which, thanks to its sturdy shields, remained unharmed.

The turrets deactivated, transforming back into their dormant state and joyous that they had done their job well.

Only two things remained.

The cryopod, and

the operatives.

Felon peeked over from his cover, only greeted by a bloodied skull of a Grineer soldier. Grett pushed away broken limbs and cracked bones that had landed on him as he rose; and Trey swatted away the thick, persistent fog of smoke, coughing as he did.

The operatives laughed triumphantly as they slung their weapons back over their shoulders, mocking the corpses that surrounded them; either fragmented by shells or roasted by rockets. They jumped around wildly, celebrating.

Lines of crimson Grineer blood painted the walls since bodies had been splat apart in front of them.

"Haha! Nice!"

"We're fine Bob!" Grett celebrated, raising his wrist comm to his lips, his chirp of victory echoing over the radio.

Remembering the silly scene of Steve tripping, Felon remembered; his friend had been hit.

"Steve?!" Felon called out.

An audible groan of pain could be heard from behind a Grineer console.

The three operatives rushed over, pulling Steve out.

They scanned the body.

Then rolled their eyes.

"Steve, you... _alright_?"

"No...I'm not."

Steve clutched Felon's hand, relaying his "last words".

"Tell the world what happened today," Steve begged.

Felon crouched next to him.

"What happened today?"

Steve remained silent for a bit.

"Tell them, about my _sacrifice_ ," Steve coughed.

"You're not dead," Felon clarified.

"I'm about to be," Steve insisted.

"It's only a flesh wound, dumbass."

Steve looked down, wide-eyed, embarrassed; his friend was right. The bullet had missed pathetically, drilling nothing but a shallow scratch on his right ankle, leaving only a small splat of blood that stained his white suit.

Felon shook Steve's hand off, and the three returned back to their main objective; the cryopod.

"I felt it go through me!" Steve yelled, limping over to the cryopod.

Ignoring him, the trio continued to observe the cryopod in a solemn silence.

"What? Why are y'all so..."

Steve realized what they had been so mute about.

"...quiet..."

Unknown to the four, some sort of timer on the cryopod had activated during their _friendly_ exchange with the Grineer; now counting down and coming to an end soon enough.

"00:00:10...00:00:09..."

Although the four weren't scholars, the operatives understood that that meant how close they were from witnessing a God being awoken. And despite knowing that whatever laid underneath the frosted glass panels was a friend, the operatives had heard stories; stories of how confused, unsure Tenno had ripped apart whoever was standing in front of them, whether they were foe...

or friend.

"Quick! Hide!" Grett commanded, urgently.

The four dove and hid behind a wall together, peeking out as the timer came to a close.

"00:00:01...00:00:00."

The frosted glass on the cryopod became a transparent screen as the ice within the pod melted; white, cold smoke was released as the doors creaked opened and the ancient, Orokin cryopod, having served its purpose, was worthless now.

A man rose from his eternal slumber.

A Warframe emerged.


	3. Chapter 3

_A Volt._

Visible charges of electricity sparked from his shoulders as the Warframe knelt on the open cryopod, cracking his neck and clenching his fists, feeling his numb fingers run through his moist palms.

The four operatives continued to peek, marveling at the sight of the awakening of the Warframe. The man must have slept for God knew how long, finally witnessing the red sands of Mars fly by his helmet.

"What's _that_?" Steve whispered.

"A Volt," Felon hastily replied.

Volt looked around, his head turning left and right as he observed the insane amount of dismembered or fried corpses that had built up around him. Some sort of fight must have happened here before he rose from his hibernation. An observation was made; the corpses were of the same kind, all made of rotten, cloned flesh. _The victims_ were here...

But where were _the murderers_.

He jerked his head to his left.

Where the operatives were.

The operatives swiftly spun their bodies back behind the wall in unison, unwilling to peek anymore as they heaved their breaths heavily.

Felon turned to his friends.

"Think he saw us?"

"How would I know?" Grett snapped as quietly as he could.

"I'm gonna take another peek," Felon asserted. The rest wanted to retort, but they were at their wits ends by now.

Felon peeked.

The Warframe stood right in front of him, meeting the operative face to face.

"ARGH!" Felon screamed, tripping back and landing in the confused arms of Grett.

The Volt walked forward, the four now in full sight of the deadly Warframe.

"AHH!" The rest screamed in unison, all tripping to the floor like a row of dominoes; the four laid down in front of the Volt vulnerably.

"Please don't kill us we're the ones who saved you!" Trey begged, tripping over every word.

"We're your friends!" Steve yelled, his hands raised over his face in a defensive stance.

They weren't even sure if the Warframe had recovered from his long cryostasis, weren't even sure if the Warframe could understand them, but they still plead for the man not to kill them.

The Volt raised his hand.

The operatives yelped in fear.

Volt then swooped something up from the floor; Felon's badge that had fell off his chest carelessly. He observed the sharp, metal badge intently, twirling it within his frosty fingers; he _knew_ this symbol.

The Symbol of the Tenno; the Symbol of the Lotus.

 _Now_ he was sure; the four males lying in front of him were indeed _,_ _friends_. He didn't know if they were the ones who killed all the soldiers outside, but he knew he could trust them. After all, they did save his sleeping body one way or another.

He flicked the badge back to Felon as if it were a coin, then stood back up, appearing to be _smiling_ to the operatives as he tilted his head happily.

The Volt turned back to face the bloodied sight outside, then remembered _something._

He beckoned for the operatives to follow him.

The operatives looked at one another, breathing in shock.

"Guess this mission is getting longer," Grett commented.

The four followed the Volt, wandering through the deserts of Mars...

* * *

Grineer soldiers stormed the dead scene around the cryopod, stepping over their lifeless comrades, their guns held firmly yet their fingers trembling; was the Warframe still here?

The open, abandoned cryopod confirmed that the merciless killer had been long gone.

But among the Grineer troops, perhaps only one person mattered...

Captain Vor advanced with his usual group of Elite Lancers, then he stopped in his tracks abruptly, observing a beeping device lying on the floor.

And with it; a disconnected Grineer finger.

The Grineer Commander's transponder.

Captain Vor bent down, picking the blood-stained transponder up with his wrinkled hands.

"Captain, no survivors," a soldier reported solemnly.

"The killers?" Vor demanded.

"No sign of them."

Captain Vor sighed; a sigh that gave out a tense, killer aura. An aura that demanded vengeance for the dead brothers that laid in front of him; not even a complete corpse left behind to mourn.

The scene became a dreaded silence...until a Lancer broke in.

"Captain! Footprints!"

The rest of the Grineer looked; and it was true. Careless footprints that belonged to several people embedded in the coarse sand; trailing off into the scorching desert.

A Drahk Master stepped forward, allowing his impatient beasts to rush forward and sniff the footprints. The tough-skinned Drahks then barked violently and jumped wildly; confirming that the footprints did not belong to the Grineer.

The troops looked at their leader.

Vor smirked.

"Today, we hunt."

* * *

In the middle of the sandy dunes of Mars, as winds carrying red dirt howled by a group of 5...

The operatives had been hiking for...who knew how long? A 15 minute mission had seemingly become a 15 _hours_ mission. Their fabric suits have visibly dampened as pools of sweat had formed underneath. The squad had almost emptied all their rations; leaving only sips of water behind as they continued to walk alongside the mute Volt; the Warframe continued forward, not exhausted, not talking, not offering any moment to catch a breath.

Still, foot after foot, they hiked...

" _Hey! Where the hell are you guys!_ "

"Bob?! Bob! So glad to hear from you buddy," Grett beamed.

" _Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Extraction came and all we found were fucking Grineer! We lost one extraction ship today cause of you guys! The pod was opened! You guys better have a good ass explanation, or so help m-_ "

"Bob. We're with the Tenno," Felon articulated, his voice as matter-of-fact as he could put it.

Silence over the radio.

" _Wha...wha...How?!_ "

"Yeah, he woke up earlier."

" _Well then, why didn't you guys tell him to wait there!"_

"He wandered off! Asking us to join him!" Trey replied, impatient under the irritating heat.

" _So where are you now?_ "

"In the middle of nowhere. All we see is sand, sand...oh look! More sand!" Felon quipped.

" _And where are you going?_ "

"Don't know. _He_ didn't say."

" _Alright, just find a way to come back to Strata Relay. ALIVE._ "

"Got it, stay in touch," Grett ended.

Volt turned his head slightly; facing the group that he had forced to join him, as if he had heard their incessant complaints.

The group climbed a small hill of sand...

then they halted in their tracks.

The operatives looked, astonished. They couldn't believe the site before their eyes. Whereas the Volt looked rather...proud. The silent Warframe folded his arms, staring at what they had led them to in glee.

Amongst the flat deserts of Mars...

A natural crack in the terrain; a beautiful canyon that stretched beyond the eyesight of the group. A fracture in the ground that had been dried up and left to suffer the never-ending heat.

A crack so long and wide that it was used to hide something for centuries.

The Volt advanced.

The operatives looked at each other, then breathed. They tagged along with the Volt again.

The squad neared the canyon, and looked down. The canyon was not very deep; if anything, it was nothing but a shallow, little sink that decorated the plains of Mars.

Following the Volt, the operatives slid down the side of canyon; foolishly tumbling down the gentle slope alongside the Warframe who gracefully glided down.

The operatives dusted themselves off, then got to their feet, shaking sand off their bodies.

Volt shook his head lightly, _this_ was the squad sent to save him?

Then, surprises kept coming...

The operatives peered through the sandy canyon; something rather _unnatural_ was sitting within the _natural_ crack of Mars. Something... _peculiar_.

The Volt charged an electricity jolt within his hands; and fired it at _that_ unnatural thing.

Nothing happened.

Until sparks were given off and a pale energy visibly lined the figure of the unnatural thing.

The jaws of the operatives dropped to the floor as they watched the scene unfold before their mortal eyes.

A Liset.

The landing craft revived; gradually de-cloaking and eventually revealing the grey, ancient ship that had been parked here for God knew how long. Tons of dust an mountains of sand had gathered on the top of the landing craft, only proving the long history the airship must have.

"Woah," Steve commented, astonished.

The Volt laughed... _for real_ , he chuckled audibly.

The operatives looked at the Warframe, shocked.

"Wait...you...you can talk?" Felon stuttered.

"Am I not supposed to?" The voice from within the frame echoed.

"What the hell?! There were dozens of times when you could have spoke!" Trey complained.

The Volt shrugged.

"Oh well," he teased.

"Can we at least know your name so we don't keep calling you Mister Volt?" Steve asked.

"The name's Levon."

"And where are we going? _Levon_?" Grett inquired.

"We're going to save myself," Levon concluded. Not offering any further explanation, he strolled towards his uncloaked Liset, leaving the stunned, confused operatives behind.

"Come on!" Levon called out.

Trey looked to his friends.

"I'm starting to hate that guy."

The operatives chuckled, then followed the Volt.

Unknown to them, they were not alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Levon walked to the command console of the abandoned Liset. Were it not for the airlock that had been tightly sealed, the aircraft should have been filled to the brim with sand and Desert Skates.

Something Trey was rather happy about.

"Thank god, none of those _ugly, disgusting, horrifying,_ Desert Skates..." Trey said to no one in particular.

"There's one behind you!" Steve shouted.

Trey jumped in fear, raising his Baza Rifle at nothing as he tripped foolishly to the floor with a thud.

"Dumbass!" Steve laughed, slapping his knees.

"Should have just left you to die," Trey clipped, slinging his Baza back over his shoulder.

Felon left the two children to bicker, walking to Levon.

"So? Can we fly this thing?"

"Yes...yes we can. I just need something sharp, something that's a good conductor of electrici-"

Levon turned to Felon's chest, and ripped his badge off the man's chest.

"Hey! That was given for saving a whole squad on Eris!"

"Yes, yes, and I'm _very_ proud of you," Levon jested.

Felon rolled his eyes.

Levon inserted the badge into a hole in the command console, and gave the dead console a quick jolt of electricity; a visible spark danced around the metal badge as the console revived. Energy flowed within the deserted systems of the Liset once again as the lights in the aircraft lit back to life.

The Warframe gave Felon a thumbs up as he passed the valuable badge back.

"Op...Ope...Oppeeeratorrrrr...Operator?! You're back!" A voice from nowhere echoed throughout the ship.

"What was that?" Grett asked, slightly tensed.

"My Cephalon, Freyarch, how have you been buddy?"

" _PRETTY BAD_...Never better Operator!"

"Good. I need us in the air _now_ , Freyarch."

"System reboots will take approximately 6 minutes. Starting now," Freyarch asserted.

"Alright."

"So...Levon? Where the hell are we going? Could you fill us in now?" Grett questioned.

"Ah right, sure. Gather around here."

The operatives sat in a circle around the Volt, like children who were eager to hear a story by a campfire.

"So...I'm going to th-"

Levon stopped abruptly in his words, his head tilted.

"Real funny," Trey jeered.

"Shush!" Levon raised a single finger to Trey's lips forcefully, _listening_.

Listening _very_ intently.

Piecing together what Levon was doing, the operatives followed suite, straining their ears and extending their hearing as far as they could...and then...they heard it too.

Footsteps. A bunch of them. As if a whole stampede was coming. The ground outside was shaking as something was storming its way over.

Felon was the first to get to his feet, bringing his Strun to his chest vigilantly, already ready to fire.

"Steve, you're injured, stay here," he ordered.

Levon followed the operative.

The duo made their way down a hatch from the Liset, back out into the open desert of Mars. They looked to their left ; the source of the noise, and were greeted by a horrific, cursed site.

"Well this ain't gon' be good," Felon sighed.

* * *

"Go! Go! Go!"

A Grineer Commander pointed at the uncloaked Liset as he pushed his troops forward. Lancers slid down the side of the canyon, leaving a valley of sand as they approached the Liset cautiously. A whole squadron of Lancers had been dispatched to get the Warframe back, alive. To drag his struggling body back to the person that stood and watched over them all.

Captain Vor.

Vor gave off an evil smirk on his wrinkled face, watching his comrades storm forward towards the revealed airship.

"Everything going as planned, Captain!" The Commander reported.

Vor gave an impatient frown as he shook the commander off with a single nod. All he wanted now was success.

All he wanted now was the Warframe.

* * *

Felon rushed back into the Liset, facing his confused friends.

"I don't think we can shoot our way out of _this_ one."

"Ah don't crap us Felon, we already won one battle..."

Trey's words slowed to a solemn stop as he strolled down the hatch, watching the stampede of Lancers rushing towards them.

"...on second thoughts let's just stay in here," Trey gulped, retreating back into the Liset.

"Come on! We have to hold them off for 6 minutes!" Grett retorted, getting to his feet and ready to advance.

Until Levon butted in.

"No! Stay here! I'll deal with these...what are they called?"

"Grineer."

"Reindeer. Stay here, stay covered. Call for me once Freyarch's done with the reboots."

Levon dashed back into the Liset, and unfolded a shelf.

His weapons.

The operatives gasped as they got a glimpse of the weapons made for a God.

A Nikana, an Angstrum,

And a Warframe.

All that was needed to win a war, some said.

Levon marched down the hatch, ready for battle.

The operatives stared in awe as they witnessed the Tenno jump back into action.

Grineer Lancers halted in their tracks as the Volt swaggered into sight, his feet planting themselves firmly into the sand. Their cloned hearts beat harder and faster, now war drums.

The cloned troops felt a cold shiver run down their spines.

Levon clenched his fists, cracked his neck, and rolled his shoulders. The Tenno had already missed _this_. Missed the feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins as his muscles tensed; a hand already on the deadly Angstrum and the other gripping the unsheathed Nikana firmly.

The Volt leaped into the air.

"Fire!" Lancers bellowed, panicking.

The Volt swooped down, deflecting the bullets expertly as the other hand unleashed the deadly capacity of the Angstrum; rockets darted out of the muzzles and roasted Grineer troops wherever they landed. Bringing such a huge army only meant more people to slice and burn for Levon.

Levon slid on the ground, his left hand holding the Nikana, leaving chopped bodies as he spun; then he pulled the Angstrum's trigger with his right hand.

From within the Liset, the operatives gazed...just stared.

Watching the Volt fly from place to place, streams of electricity following him as he left behind a trail of blood in the sand.

"Wow..."

"Wish I could do that."

"Never seen something like that in all my years," Felon confessed.

After what seemed like a quick few minutes, the huge Grineer army instantly reduced to a handful amount, all while Captain Vor continued to watch from the top of the canyon, standing still, unwilling to leave despite the sheer amount of casualties.

"We have to retreat!" The Commander pleaded.

Captain Vor whipped his Seer out, and fired it mercilessly at the commander's heart, dispelling any thoughts of retreating.

The remaining Lancers advanced towards the blood-stained Warframe, who was _chirping._

Levon sprinted through a valley of dismembered corpses, rushing forward to meet new victims that fired foolishly at the Volt, only to have their bullets hit the Warframe's shields but do no damage otherwise.

But perhaps only one target mattered...

Levon snapped his head to the left, meeting Captain Vor eye to eye. Even without being a genius, the Tenno knew that _that_ was the man leading this pointless battle. He knew what a leader looked like, and that man...

He leaped into the air, gliding towards Captain Vor as he aimed his Angstrum steadily.

 _A mistake._

Vor unpinned something from his chest; his Janus Key.

And unleashed its power onto the Warframe.

A beam of pure energy darted out of the golden key and raced in the air towards the gliding Warframe.

The golden, burning beam met Levon; slamming into the Tenno mid-air and knocking him out of his jump, leaving the Volt falling through the sky and crashing into the sand below.

Levon groaned as he shook his head, regaining his lost senses; Lancers had already surrounded him as they pointed their weapons at him. But they didn't fire; they _waited_.

Captain Vor soon stood over Levon as well, smirking victoriously as the old man held some sort of device in his hand.

The Lancers breathed an air of fear as Vor made his next move.

The Captain bent down, latching the orange device onto the Volt's calf.

"You are mine now, Tenno," Vor triumphantly scoffed.

The Grineer Captain walked away, waving his hands in the air and signalling to his brothers that the battle was over.

They had won.

Witnessing this sight from within the Liset, the operatives had to do _something._

"Freyarch! What are we looking at?"

"10 seconds to reboot! 9...8...7" The Cephalon counted down.

Outside, the remaining Lancers were already dragging Levon's helpless, exhausted body and trailing behind Captain Vor.

"...2...1...0."

Energy coursed into the command console as the navigation section of the Liset came back on; the ancient aircraft was fully revived now.

"This thing got any weapons?"

"Yes, we have..."

"I don't care! Just fire!"

Automated turrets and rocket launchers emerged from the Liset, aiming for the fleshy targets in the distance.

And they fired.

The bullets quickly dispatched the unaware, unready Grineer; except for one. Vor encapsulated himself in a golden buble of protection, his Janus Key shining. A rocket flew towards the Captain, crashing into the impenetrable energy bubble but dealing no harm. Flames and projectiles converged onto Vor, but only gliding off the golden capsule. The old man was helpless as he unwillingly watched Levon shakily get to his feet.

"Over there, fly low," Felon commanded.

The Liset hovered over to Levon, blowing away tornadoes of sand as the aircraft inched its way towards its operator; its hatch still open.

With his final might, Levon leaped into the air; landing clumsily on the hatch and dragged back into the safety of the Liset by Trey and Steve.

"Alright, let's go!" Grett shouted, flicking a lever and sealing the hatch shut.

The Liset boomed back into space, leaving Captain Vor staring into the open sky as the howling winds blew by; sand already covering the mountain of corpses around him.

But Vor smirked.


	5. Chapter 5

"Don't worry, we're safe here..." Francis reassured, but his voice betraying him, giving away the overexposed panic at heart.

Levon, being one of the older and braver ones, comforted the others; doing his best to reassure them of weak safety.

But really, all they were doing was shushing the children.

The children on board the ship remained as still as they could; yet shivering in fear as they huddled together behind a locked door. They tried their best to remain silent, covering their agape mouths as tears of fear rolled down their cheeks. The survivors hid in a large, lifeless room; an empty holding bay for cargo. The only source of light being a giant window that allowed the bright lights of Hell to shine through.

The children crouched together in the corner, hiding as far as they could from the sealed door.

Suddenly, something banged against the door, shaking the thick metal.

Children screamed.

"Shh! It's alright!" Diana whispered, yet her voice housing thinly disguised panic. She hugged Jane to her beating heart, running her thumb across Jane's cheek to wipe her teary eyes.

Silence...

Then, many more bangs ensued.

A cold chill ran down Levon's spine; they had found them.

Adult clawed on the metal door maniacally, smashing their bodies into the door violently but only managing to dent the thick plate. They banged their heads again and again...eventually splitting their own heads apart as their bodies fell to the floor lifeless; a crimson pool oozing out of their squished, mangled brains as their cracked skulls laid on the floor.

More adults swarmed the metal door, kicking and punching as their minds remained in a frenzied state.

More children screamed, only drawing more attention as the older children were at their wit's ends; they themselves scared too.

Eventually, the adults stopped; the door did not yield to their minds. The scene once again a deafening silence but another crazy bang heard every now and then.

Levon skulked his way to Francis.

"The door..."

"It'll hold."

"What if it doesn't?"

Francis laid a reassuring hand on Levon's shoulder.

"It'll hold."

Levon sat down beside his friend, exhausted.

Diana and Jane joined the two soon after; the four had been friends for God knew how long? Practically a second family. If anything, they were happy that their last moments were spent together.

"This holiday trip...is _Hell_ ," Levon panted, sweating. He forced a reassuring smile out for Jane, but the exhausted child was already at his wit's ends. It was his idea to hide them all in this Cargo Bay.

Francis nodded, sighing as the four gazed out of the giant, clear window in the Cargo Bay.

The Void...

White, mystical clouds of energy floated around the ship as the Zariman Ten-Zero drifted around in the never-ending pale blue space of the Void aimlessly, the children only hoped that help would soon come.

But so what? Even if help came, would they inexplicably end up crazy? Like the adults outside?

They needed a miracle.

And so they waited...

The children waited...

...and waited...

"Soon you will be mine, Tenno," Captain Vor's familiar, yet dreaded voice interrupted.

Levon shivered in his dreams.

"The Ascaris will burrow its maggots deep within you, and when you are weak you, _will_ , **_yield_**!"

The last word echoed throughout Levon's thoughts, drowning the Tenno in the Grineer's voice as the Tenno became helpless; trapped in his own visions.

"Levon!" Felon's voice soon made its way into Levon's messed up mind.

"Hey! Stop messing around!"

 _"LEVON!"_

 _"WAKE UP!"_


	6. Chapter 6

Felon shook Levon forcefully, his hand on the Warframe's shoulder gripping tightly as the operative tried desperately to wake the sleeping Warframe.

The rest of the operatives stood in a circle around the two, watching the struggling Warframe.

"Wake up!" Felon gave Levon another shake.

The voice drew the Tenno back.

Levon woke; his hand swiftly clutching Felon's arm violently, seemingly ready to break it.

"Woah!" Grett exclaimed, taken aback.

Realizing he had returned back to reality, Levon's tight, painful grip on Felon loosened.

"Sorry I was...what happened?"

Felon shrugged the pain off.

"You were shaking, _a lot,_ like you were having a fucking seizure! What happened?" Trey asked.

"Yeah, you told us you were gonna meditate, not get high on drugs," Steve added, confused.

"I don't know what happened, honestly. One second I was...recollecting my past and the next moment I heard...the asshole we saw just now, what's his name?"

"Captain Vor," Grett informed.

"Well, heard that guy for some reason."

Grett then pointed at Levon's right calf.

"Think it has to do with _that_ thing. It was glowing like the sun when you were meditating."

Levon looked; the orange device returned an evil smirk.

"He called it the Ascaris."

"Ass-carry, Arse-curry, whatever it is, it's affecting you. _Badly_. We have to get it off," Felon declared.

"Can you...rip it off?" Steve quizzed.

"I'll try."

Levon gripped the Ascaris tightly, wrapping his hands around the device and pulled...pulled with all his might; but the damned device remained planted on his leg and not even shaking despite the Warframe's unmatched strength.

Levon shook his head, shrugging to show he was out of ideas.

Felon sighed.

"Well, let's go back to Strata Relay first. They'll know what it is, and what to do from there."

"Strata Relay?" Levon questioned.

"A little hub orbiting Earth. If you would be so kind..." Felon gestured at the Liset's command console.

"Right."

Limping over to the command console, the Tenno announced his orders to the trusty Cephalon.

"Freyarch, let's go to this...Strata Relay."

"Yes Operator."

The Liset's engines whirled, sending the aircraft into light speed and heading for Earth, darting away from the red planet of Mars...

* * *

A Liset docked in the bay of Strata Relay.

"Bob? We're here."

" _Here?_ "

"Strata Relay."

" _Oh! Er...just stay put._ "

Levon and the operatives had arrived; watching the huge amounts of Tenno airships enter and leave, many more Warframes of all kinds ambled about; some letting their Tenno roam free and conversing with others.

"Where's yours?" Steve innocently asked, pointing at one Tenno.

But Levon remained silent.

"Guys!"

The group turned.

A man greeted them, rushing over and hugging the operatives.

"Er...who are you?" Grett rasped, pushing the man off his chest.

"Wait...does my voice sound different over the radio?"

"Bob?!"

"In the flesh!"

"And you must be the Tenno they have been bitching about," Bob continued, shaking Levon's hand.

"Bitching?"

The operatives shrugged.

"Steve's injured," Felon notified, pointing at the scratch in the man's ankle.

"Nothing but a flesh wound," Steve said.

"Well, we still have to get it treated. Come, let's talk...inside," Bob addressed.

The group went further into the Relay...

* * *

"Ah here we go! Med-bay!" Bob announced.

Felon pointed at the room filled with the injured, then pointed at Steve.

Nurses rushed over to Steve. A man hovered a device over the wound, then looked at the operatives with a frown.

"Where were you guys before this?"

"Mars," Grett informed.

"Uh huh, look at this."

The nurse presented his tablet to Felon.

The operative pushed the tablet back without looking.

"I'm not a fucking doctor."

"It's _infected_. We have to keep him here to treat it," The nurse replied, hastily rushing back into the med-bay and then wheeling a bed back out.

"So...this is goodbye?" Steve sighed.

"Don't worry kid, you did great," Grett affirmed, nodding.

Steve sat down on the bed, looking at Felon.

"So...did I pass?"

Felon breathed.

"Welcome to the operatives."

Steve smiled, grinning from ear to ear.

"Guys?" Trey called, pointing at Bob and Levon who were walking out of sight.

"Well, gotta go now, take care of yourself kid," Grett intoned.

Felon slapped Steve on his shoulder jovially, bidding goodbye. More nurses rushed over to Steve, wheeling him deeper into the Med-bay...

The two traced their way back to Levon.

"You accepted him? Thought you said he was an idiot?" Grett asked, perplexed.

"You were one too," Felon chuckled.

Felon and Grett caught up with the others; who were already in another room. In there, Bob hovered a mini tablet over the Grineer device, scanning the Ascaris intently as Levon sat on a chair as instructed. The Volt looked like he was visiting a doctor.

Then, Bob got to his feet.

"It's called an Ascaris. Corpus technology."

"Corpus?"

Bob swiped his fingers on the tablet, his eyes fixated on the data presented as he addressed the three operatives.

"Mhm. Anyways, it reduces the Warframe's shields by half, and allows some sort of...mental connection? Between _someone_ and Levon here."

"Captain Vor," Levon added.

The rest nodded.

"How do we get it off?" Grett inquired.

"Well, since it Corpus technology, only the Corpus would know how to remove it. Fortunately for you, we have a Corpus friend but he's captured. And now...this seems like a good opportunity to free him. He's in a Corpus jail on Venus. Get in, get him out."

"Alright."


	7. Chapter 7

_Venus_

A Liset nestled nicely into a snowy mountain; cloaked and appearing to be one with the snowy terrain.

"We hope you enjoyed Freyarch's Airline and please, do come back _in one piece_ ," Freyarch announced.

Felon pointed at a holographic display of Venus, highlighting a location on the planet with a tap.

"Alright, Bob said our Corpus friend is located _here._ "

"Mariana Jail?"

"Here's the plan. You guys wait here and pick me up once I give you guys the signal _. I'll_ go in and get him out," Levon deadpanned, twirling his Angstrum within his hands as he gave his weapon a final check.

Grett nodded, shrugging to show their compliance.

Levon got to his feet.

 _"Tenno! I see you!"_ Captain Vor bellowed into Levon's ear, catching the unready Volt off-guard.

The Volt then weakly tripped to the floor.

"Woah!" Trey exclaimed.

The Ascaris Bolt glowed brighter; in delight. If the Warframe had a mouth, it would have puked by now.

"Nah, that thing is affecting you too much. You're _so_ not ready for this mission. Stay here, _we'll_ handle it. Come on guys," Felon ordered.

"No! I can do it!" Levon insisted, trying to get to his clumsy feet.

Felon slapped the Warframe across his cheeks.

"Look at me..."

The Warframe looked at the operative.

"...I'm the captain now."

Grett and Trey giggled.

Levon nodded, conceding to the determined operative.

"Alright then, Felon. What's the plan?"

In the distance, three Corpus Crewmen were approaching the jail...

An idea flashed into Felon's head.

* * *

The three operatives neared the heavily guarded complex.

Mariana Jail; a giant Corpus jail that housed the worst of the worst. It sat amongst the mountains with the bright lights of its watchtowers protruding the thick fog of snow that enveloped the surface of Venus. Corpus Crewman patrolled from wing to wing as their trained eyes observed everything that trotted in the white snow; their Lankas held firmly in hand and ready to fire in a moment's notice.

Trey involuntarily let out a yelp of fear at the sight of a Sniper Crewman. Grett rolled his exposed eyes, shutting the less experienced operative up.

"Calm the fuck down Trey."

"What if they find out?! I suck at acting!"

"Just stick to the plan."

The three continued to hike down a trail leading to the jail, now in full sight of all the guards.

A Crewman greeted them.

"Sir!"

Felon walked forward, donned in "his" Elite Crewman uniform.

"Name's Felon Vaus. This is Grett Hugh..."

Grett nodded once at the Crewman.

"...and Trey Logan."

Trey forced an ugly smile towards the Crewman, shivering.

The Crewman blinked as he dismissed Trey's unusual behavior.

"So, you gonna let us in or what?" Felon quipped.

"Oh! Yes sir!"

The Crewman raised his hand and gave a signal to the gatekeepers. With a pull of a lever, the gates creaked open; the bright lights of the jail blinding them as the heavy metal doors parted ways. The operatives strolled into the jail, breathing as they did; walking into shelter and safely into the complex unquestioned.

They were now out of Levon's sight, out of the protection that the Tenno had once offered.

 _Unknown to the guards, a group of three naked, real Corpus Crewmen laid unconscious in the snow far from the jail..._

Atop the mountains, Freyarch and Levon peeked at their successful friends from within the Liset.

"They're good," Freyarch commented.

Levon nodded.

"Yes they are..."

Levon walked over to the Liset's console.

"Now it's our turn to show off."

* * *

The three lined up in front of a wrist scanner, gulping. The scanner's purpose was simple; to check the DNA of any that wandered into the jail and confirm if the visitor was indeed a friend, which posed as a sticky situation to the three operatives. They only hoped Levon was doing his part.

A single Crewman sat in his chair as he typed in commands into a computer.

"Step forward."

Felon was the first in line. He swallowed audibly.

"Step forward," the guard repeated.

Swallowing again, Felon took a step forward and inserted his wrist into the scanner.

Blue lights darted out of the device, scanning Felon's wrist at every possible angle and checking every inch of the man's skin as the scanner tried to identify the man.

The screen on the computer showed a mess; programmes were disrupted as the scanner was in a confused state.

The procedure continued for what seemed like an eternity...

The guard frowned as his muscles tensed; the check should have been completed by now. Yet the light on the scanner continued to shine a pale blue rather than a reassuring green...

or a deadly red.

An alarm then shrilled incessantly as the light on the scanner shone a sharp red; the computer showing a blank screen as Felon's particulars were nothing but absent.

Felon's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Erm...sorry, Sir. But I can't find your particulars," the guard stuttered.

Felon drew his wrist back as he gave an unsure look back to his comrades.

Grett and Trey returned a weak smile.

"I have to call the superiors now," the guard reported.

" _No_. Scan again."

"I'm afraid that's not how it works Sir..."

"Listen here you slimy, dick-sucking bitch. I _am_ a Crewman. I was genetically bred by Alad fucking V himself! So, unless you want to be held accountable for wasting the _precious_ time of our superiors, I suggest you just scan my wrist again!" Felon barked, snatching the guard up by his chest.

The guard swallowed a mouthful of fear as Felon dropped the Crewman back into his chair.

"Al-...alright..."

He gestured for Felon to repeat the identification procedure.

Felon inserted his wrist once again, impatient; the scanner's light still shining a pale, uneasy blue...

* * *

 _Back in the Liset..._

"Quick!" Freyarch rushed.

"Quiet! It's harder than it looks!"

Levon tapped the buttons on the holographic display, working fast and hard to match the patterns as the Tenno tried desperately to solve the complex Corpus puzzles that showed up; trying his best to hack into the encrypted system.

Then, the puzzle was done.

Levon celebrated triumphantly, his happy hands raised in the air wildly.

* * *

The scanner continued shining a pale blue...

Felon swallowed audibly, _again_.

Then, the light changed.

Everyone looked.

The scanner shone a confirming green as Felon was clear.

Felon heaved a sigh of relief as he silently thanked Levon.

"Oh!" the guard muttered, still in slight disbelief. Corpus technology was everything; reliable, advanced...malfunctioning was not one of the words used.

But the computer proved the Crewman otherwise; it reflected Felon's particulars. And true enough, Felon Vaus was an Elite Crewman with 5 years of experience, created under the supervision of Alad V.

Felon returned a proud smirk.

"Fucker," he sassed at the guard, beckoning for his friends to join him.

Grett and Trey stepped forward; the scanner shining an instant green as their wrists were scanned.

Trey pointed his middle finger at the guard as he walked by.

"We're demoting you," Grett added, glaring at the guard as he brushed past the scanner.

The three subdued their happiness within them as they made their way past the preliminary security checks and to the visitor room of the jail complex.

"Excuse me? Could you call for Darvo Bek? We need to speak to him," Grett called for a Crewman.

"Ah, about his execution?" The Crewman innocently asked.

"Yes...his... _execution_ ," Grett hesitated, nodding.

The Crewman rushed to a terminal swiftly, his fingers gliding over the keyboard and expertly tapping a few buttons, barking an order into a microphone as he did.

"Looks like we got here in time."

Soon after, a door opened and a Corpus man strolled into the room.

"Ah..." Darvo sighed as he lazily sat in front of the three men in Corpus uniforms.

"What do you want this time?" Darvo asked, annoyed.

Felon leaned closer to Darvo.

"We're not Corpus."

"We're with the Tenno," Grett whispered.

"We're here to free you," Trey continued.

"Hm?"

"What do you know about _this_?"

Felon discreetly slid a small piece of paper into Darvo's hands. The Corpus man inspected the poorly scribbled drawing with a quick glance, instantly recognizing the device despite the drawing even a 5 year old could beat.

"Ahh...Ascaris Bolt. You need help to get it off huh?"

The three males nodded.

"Well, I don't know if you noticed but..."

Darvo leaned forward, making sure each of them could hear his remark.

"...I am incarcerated," he continued, turning his head to face each operative at each word.

"We'll handle that. Can you get it off?" Felon asked.

Darvo nodded.

"Alright then. Go back to your cell, we'll... give you the _signal_ ," Grett notified, stressing on his last word.

"When you pick me up, I need you to bring an explosive."

Without offering an explanation, Darvo headed back into his cell.

The three looked at each other; they _knew_ what they had to do. They _knew_ where they had to go. The operatives rushed out of the visitor room and made their way deeper into Mariana Jail.

A giant command center stood over every thing; Crewmen stationed inside observed prisoners go in and out of their cells while they sipped on their drinks, watching fellow guards patrol the corridors. Nothing went by unnoticed. The command center offered _everything_ ; control, surveillance...it was also the only way the operatives could release Darvo.

Felon turned to his friends as they ascended the metal staircase leading to the command center.

"Ready?"

Grett and Trey returned a determined nod.

Satisfied, Felon kicked the metal door of the command center down, swiftly grabbing the attention of every Crewmen inside.

"Hello," Trey jeered.

The Crewmen looked at each other, unsure, their drinks now put down. With a violent push, Felon sealed the door shut, making sure their _party_ wasn't interrupted.

"Hi," Grett continued.

A flurry of bullets were exchanged and muzzles flashed...

* * *

Darvo Bek paced about his cell, hands behind his back as he walked back and forth within the empty, smelly concrete room, waiting impatiently.

Anticipation and excitement built up within the Corpus man with every step he took, he just couldn't wait to get out of this horrible cell and reclaim the life he had.

The door to Darvo's jail cell opened...

Darvo stared out into the open space, confused. Was this it? Was this the _"signal"_? Or was this just a system malfunction?

"What the hell?!" A Warden exclaimed as he walked into view, drawing out his Prova and keeping Darvo in his cell; like a trainer with his circus animal.

More cell doors behind the Warden opened; inmates from within stepped out into the light as they shot each other confused glances. They looked up to the command center, bewildered.

From within, three men gave the inmates a thumbs up.

Then, the inmates noticed the outnumbered Warden. His intimidation dissipated as he realized the amount of inmates that were ambling about the holding area.

The inmates swiftly swarmed the Warden, brutally disarming him and violently whacking the defenseless Warden.

* * *

"Ugh...sorry," Trey muttered as he watched the violent scene unfold on one of the camera's screen.

"Sorry," he said, once again, as the inmates continued to punch the Warden.

"Play _this_ ," Felon ordered as he passed Trey a music disc.

* * *

Music started to blast from the jail's loudspeaker as a rhythmic whistling confirmed a sign of rebellion...

 _"Cold! The air and water flowing..."_

Alarms blared in Mariana Jail. Footsteps were heard as a stampede of guards started to rush to the holding area, their Deras held firmly in their hands as they sprinted.

Darvo walked out of his cell, seeing the guards come closer. He turned to the command center.

"OPEN ALL!"

Following his commands, Trey's palm hovered over a red button; a button with signs that reinforced danger, painted in red for obvious reasons. He pressed it. Every single cell opened. Inmates dashed out, facing the guards that had tortured and kept them in their horrid cells. They looked up to the command center, immediately realizing that the three within was not Corpus.

The inmates then realized what this was.

A jailbreak.

Prisoners darted about, sprinting all over the jail like a pack of free monkeys and pouncing onto Crewmen.

Darvo silently skulked his way out of the fight and met the three operatives soon after.

Trey passed the Corpus man a glowing device.

"Your explosive, as requested."

"Good. Let's go."

As Darvo turned, Grett clutched the Corpus man by his arm, holding him back.

"Wait! Darvo! What the hell?! We can go now!"

"No, operative. I have to do something first."

"Alright, _quickly_ ," Felon asserted.

Darvo led the three down a series of staircases and descended into what seemed like the basement of Mariana Jail. In the concrete basement, only one room was presented.

Weak lights lit the hallway as all kinds of warning signs were pasted on the walls. Words written in Corpus language that were painted or engraved were all over the place; all of which warning people to stay away from the single room. The ominous room had a heavy metal door holding whatever was held in the room captive. A special cell for God knew what. A special cell that cooked an uneasy feeling within the operatives.

But Darvo advanced.

"Er...Darvo! These signs are here for a reason!" Grett warned.

But Darvo did not care.

The Corpus man planted the explosive onto the door and blasted it into smithereens. The man from within the sinister jail cell stepped into the light, inhaling a breath of fresh air as he emerged from the smoke, cheerfully meeting his Corpus friend.

"How we doing, buddy?" Darvo greeted as the man came into full sight of the operatives.

The man was not very tall... _for his kind_.

The Grineer raised his hands into the air, happy.

" _CLEM_!"


	8. Chapter 8

The group continued to rush about Mariana Jail, heading for the exit; leaving a trail of unconscious Crewman as they ran.

"So, who's the Grineer?" Felon asked, raising his voice to battle the blaring sirens.

"CLEM!"

"Yeah! But _who_ are you?"

"One of my undercover Grineer contractors! If I left him in there they would've killed him! This way!" Darvo explained between his steps, panting. This was a good workout.

The group found themselves dashing through a corridor; weapons of all sorts were either hung on the walls or were displayed neatly on tables, some having words engraved in them that swore a thick hatred to the Corpus. Making an obvious guess, this would have been where the confiscated weapons were stored.

"GRAKATA!"

Trey looked back at the short Grineer man as he jogged.

"Wha-"

A Crewman jumped out of nowhere, smirking; only to have Trey slam the Crewman into the wall.

"What's wrong with him?" Trey fumed as he kicked the Crewman in his stomach before setting the body aside.

"Cloning mutation! Limited vocabulary! The only words he know are 'Clem' and 'Grakata'. Speaking of Grakatas..."

With a smooth movement, Darvo swooped up two familiar yellow guns as he sprinted through the weapons area, then tossed them towards the Grineer.

"There! Let's go!"

Turning at the last corner, a bright light greeted them. A sign of freedom that made the group euphoric; the still open gates of Mariana Jail that allowed the reassuring sunlight in.

"Almost there!" Grett yelled, pointing as the winds blew by his face. They rushed out of the main facility, finally nearing the ajar gates; now trotting in the open snow rather than solid Corpus metal.

Their celebration was cut short as Crewmen ambushed the group from all directions; audibly reloading their guns with a threatening growl and forming a deadly ring around the group, enclosing them.

"Stop right there criminal scum!"

Chest heaving, the Grineer raised his Grakatas and grunted; only to have Darvo solemnly wrap his fingers around the muzzles and lowered Clem's guns.

"No. We're outnumbered."

"CLEM..."

"Me too."

A Crewman paraded to Felon's face, raising his hands as he displayed his authority and taunting the operatives.

"Elite Crewman, huh?" He spat.

Felon rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you; you guys have _balls_ busting into a maximum security complex and freeing these two. But you guys did a _terrible_ job at it," the guard continued, shaking his finger at the operatives as he jeered and gave off an ugly chuckle.

The other Crewmen laughed alongside their leader.

"Since they're charged with a death sentence, let's just deliver their execution now! On my count! 1..."

"Fuck...any ideas Felon?" Grett looked, his hands raised in a surrender stance.

But Felon remained silent as he bit his lip, a resigned frown on his face as the operative accepted his fate. He was out of ideas now; anything they did would've led to their inevitable deaths anyways.

"...2..." the guard continued. The Crewmen's fingers on their triggers had never been this excited.

"Nice knowing you guys," Trey sniffled.

Darvo sighed as he turned to his Grineer friend, giving a final nod.

"3!" A faceless voice from above echoed.

Everyone looked; a Liset uncloaked, shaking the ground as it rumbled through the sky. Flying into sight, it's turrets aimed at the surprised Crewmen and fired immediately, blasting their Corpus bodies into meaty pieces.

"Hey guys!" Levon shouted, the Liset's hatch opened as he stood triumphantly on it.

"Levon!" The operatives cheered.

"Yeehaw!"

The Liset landed in front of the group, the turbines blowing away the Corpus corpses and the agape hatch welcoming the five.

"Come on! Let's get out of this hellhole!"

* * *

"Captain!"

A Grineer soldier saluted Captain Vor.

"What is it?" Vor asked, impatient.

"They're changing course again."

"As expected. Continue to keep an eye on them."

"Yes Captain!"

The Grineer soldier returned back to his seat and continued to type away at the Grineer keyboard.

"We mustn't fail the Queens now my brothers..." Vor mumbled as he looked out of a window on the Grineer Galleon, hands behind his back.

* * *

"Yeah, Bob. We have Darvo. We also have...er... _Clem_. We are coming over..." Felon continued to communicate through the radio. The operatives had dumped their Corpus uniforms out of the airlock, and were now donned in their usual, colourful suits.

"Here you are." The Liset foundry's powered down as Darvo retrieved something from it.

Darvo presented a device to the Volt as the Liset continued to speed through the Galaxy.

"What's this?" Levon asked.

"Ascaris Negator. It _should_ take the Bolt off."

The operatives glared at Darvo in unison. The Corpus man cleared his throat.

"It _will_ take the Bolt off."

"Alright, here goes nothing."

Levon stretched his hand out, reaching for the Ascaris Negator.

" _Did you really think I will let you go this easily?_ " Captain Vor yelled, the Ascaris Bolt sparking and glowing. " _You are mine Tenno! Mine always!_ "

Levon fell to the ground, the Warframe aggressively shivering as the Tenno struggled under the pain; which only grew at an exponential rate.

"Do you want it or nah...?" Darvo asked, confused as he looked at the Negator that was still in his palms.

"Quick! Use it!"

Grett and Felon clutched Levon's struggling body, holding the Volt in place as Trey snatched the Negator from Darvo, crouching over the Ascaris Bolt and hovering the Negator over it.

"How do you use this thing?!" Trey panicked.

"Press the on button?"

Trey inspected the Negator. A switch coloured in an unmissable yellow greeted him.

"Right."

Trey flicked the switch.

The Negator flew towards the Bolt like a magnet instantly attracted to another, giving off a shockwave that blew everyone back when the two devices met; the Liset flying through space wavered as it traveled.

"Ugh..." Felon clasped his head as he sat back upright. He looked.

The Ascaris Negator was latched onto the Bolt; burrowing into it and digging deeper as a visible yellow energy was exchanged between the two devices. Sparks were given off and the Bolt shone brighter while vibrating violently; the Negator's control became more apparent.

Eventually, the Ascaris Bolt dissolved into the air; leaving the Ascaris Negator to drop to the floor beside Levon with a thud...also leaving Levon lying on the ground, finally free from Captain Vor's control as he struggled to regain his lost senses.

" _I know where you are..._ " Captain Vor's dreaded voice faded off.

"Levon?!" The operatives gasped as they rushed to the recovering Volt.

"Hey guys...What did I miss?" Levon shook his head; his blurry vision slowly returning as he recognized the people standing over him.

"Nothing much. But you're finally free," Felon declared, panting as he shook the Ascaris Negator over Levon's face.

Levon looked down, then heaved a sigh of relief as he realized his calf was one Ascaris Bolt short.

"Phew." The Vot planted his head back down.

The scene became a dead silent as the Liset came to an audible halt, engines powering down as it docked; its hatch opened to reveal a hangar, also revealing that the group had safely reached their destination.

" _Please don't every disrupt my flight again._ We have arrived at Strata Relay," Freyarch chirped.

"Right, here we are," Trey announced as Darvo and Clem got off.

The operatives stood still in the Liset while the two alighted.

"Are you guys coming?" Darvo inquired.

"Oh, no. We still have to help our friend here," Grett remarked, pointing at Levon who was already keying in commands for their next journey.

"Alright then," Darvo nodded.

"Go look for someone named Bob, he'll take _great_ care of you."

"CLEEMM!"

"What did he say?" Felon questioned.

"Ah, nothing much. Thank you for your help, and he thinks a name like _Trey_ is shit," Darvo waved as the Liset's hatch began to close.

"No proble...wait what?" Trey quizzed.

The hatch closed, concluding their conversation.

The Liset turned back to face the open space, then darted back into it. The two contractors stared into the stars as they stood side by side in the hangar, arms folded.

"So...what you wanna do now?"

"CLEM!"

"Yeah, me too buddy, me too."

A man rushed out from behind, pushing past the two of them with a tablet held in his hands, shuddering as he realized he had been too late. He looked back at Darvo, sighing with a frown on his face.

"Can I help you?" Darvo scowled, dusting himself off.

Bob shook his head, shoving the tablet into Darvo's chest as he walked back.

The two contractors took a look at the tablet...then at each other...then at the open space.

"Oh no."


	9. Chapter 9

The Zariman Ten-Zero continued to drift through the Void aimlessly...adults continued to claw maniacally at the door as the giant window continued to let the pale blue light of the Void in...

That wasn't new.

What was new was that the children had began to develop powers...a curse.

Children began to leave trails of fire wherever they walked, children began to become invisible and then re-emerge at another place in what they described to be a dash that sent them flying across the Cargo Bay...

Francis joined his usual friends.

Jane looked at Francis; her fear no more as she had learnt to live with the Hell she had been stuck in now. Levon breathed as his hands did their... _usual_ thing. A visible energy inched its way up his hands as his skin slowly became cloaked; only a pale yellow lining that surrounded his arm. Eventually the energy dissipated, leaving the boy blinking as he felt his own warm flesh within his sweaty palms again.

"It...it covers more of me as the days go by..." Levon stuttered.

Diana grabbed Levon's hands, giving the boy a comforting rub as she forced a smile.

Francis sighed.

"I...don't see a way out of this."

Diana nodded solemnly. They had been stuck in the cargo bay for... _too long_. They should've died of hunger, they should've died of thirst, they should've _died_...but they didn't. Something kept them alive so that they survived to witness that every day was another day to spend in Hell. Every sleep they took only meant more disappointment to build up within them when they awoke. They had contemplated suicide; they had contemplated everything, but none of their ideas seemed to get them out of the Void.

None, except...a miracle.

Energy coursed through the Zariman Ten-Zero again.

Lights came back to life and the Cargo Bay was no longer a dimly lit room with the Void being the only source of light.

"Wait...what?" Francis muttered.

Sleeping children came to as their friends woke them up. The young adults stared into the air, not believing their eyes. Some rubbed their eyes, making sure that what they were seeing wasn't a trick that their exhausted brain was pulling on them.

Was this it? Was this how they would get out of the Void?

It was.

The ship's engines started to stir, even the crazy adults outside had seemed to be in shock for their beatings on the door had temporarily ceased.

Turbines spun, fuel was burnt, energy revived the abandoned ship...

And it started.

The view on the window began to become nothing but a blur as the Zariman Ten-Zero shot out of the Void with effort, returning back into the jet black space with familiar twinkling stars that decorated the black wallpaper.

The adults outside screamed in pain, banged in agony...then stopped in unison.

The ships's energy then died down once again.

The ship became silent as it halted in its track, now drifting through the black space rather than the blue Hell.

No children screamed...

No adults in a frenzied state...

Everyone was just... _confused, silent._

Francis stood up and walked towards the giant window. Peering back as far as he could, the boy could still see the pale blue space of the Void still behind the ship. He looked at the thick door that had provided the children protection for...for _too long_. Curious, the brave boy placed his ear on the door, only to be shocked at the sound that greeted his hearing.

 _Silence_.

No breaths were taken at the opposite end, no steps were taken, no saliva swallowed...

Francis looked at the command console to his right.

"Francis! No!" Diana screamed.

Francis did not care, he made his way to the console.

"Francis! It could be one of their tricks!" A girl exclaimed.

He stood over the door console.

The console displayed a visible red; the door put in lock down and could only be unlocked with a single press of a button on the command console. Which also meant that the children had to meet whatever was silent at the other side of the Cargo Bay.

Francis looked back at the scarred children...his finger reached for the button, hovering above it as he thought hardly...

He looked back again at his peers...then stopped as he sighed.

His arm now retracted.

He just couldn't do it. He just couldn't risk the lives of all of them.

Or maybe he could.

An invisible hand grabbed his and planted his palm onto the button; unlocking the door as an audible click was given off when the locks gave away, the screen on the console now green.

Levon unmasked himself, shocked as he looked at his body that emerged from the air.

He faced the other children; all of which had developed the same, inexplicable powers.

He then turned to the door and opened it.

Children screamed, Francis panted a breath of fear, Jane cupped her hands over her agape mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks...

A haunting sight.


	10. Chapter 10

"So!" Felon finally started.

Levon opened his eyes; the Warframe looking at the operative in his black suit.

"Navigation says we're heading for the Void."

"And Navigation is correct," Levon affirmed.

"The... _Void_."

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that we'll be affected by Void Exposure," Grett butted in, trying his best to hide his sarcasm.

"We'll die there." Trey flipped his Baza Rifle around, loading it with a new magazine.

"Nope, you won't."

Levon got to his feet and made his way over to a shelf in the Liset. With a press of a button, the shelf opened to reveal all sorts of equipment piled up together. Mining lasers, fishing spears, Energy Restores...but none of those mattered. What mattered were the three golden objects that the Volt grabbed.

Levon walked over to each operative and slapped the objects onto their chests. The golden devices activated with a small hum; surrounding the three in some sort of pale energy.

"What the hell is this?" Felon asked, running his fingers through the energy shield. But he felt nothing; only the cold artificial air brushing through his fingers.

"Void Dampers. They nullify the power of the Void, making sure you don't go all bonkers. Try not to lose them."

"And where _exactly_ are we going?"

"You'll see."

An incessant beeping from the communication console stole their attention.

"Tenno! Operatives!" Darvo's concerned face was shone onto a holographic display.

"Darvo?"

"CLEM! CCLLEEMM!"

"What did he say?" Grett could feel the urgency in the Grineer's voice; even though he only spoke one word.

Bob took over the radio.

"Listen! Guys! Wherever you're going, head ba-...you-... The-... A-... Gu-...Hey!-..."

The holographic radio slowly became full of static. Bob's frenzied words were soon unrecognizable and his face disappeared; the radio only emitting a disturbing white noise now.

"We're reaching the Void, operator. Could be some sort of signal loss," Freyarch suggested as he shut the radio off.

"Hm."

Dismissing the out-of-nowhere call, anticipation built up within Levon. The Volt could not wait to see the scene unfold before his eyes. He was certain he had keyed in the correct coordinates, all he waited now was for the revelation.

"Arriving in 3...2...1."

"Watch," Levon deadpanned, excited to finally show the operatives what he had led them to.

The three operatives gazed out of the cockpit.

The Liset came to a stop as it broke out of light-speed.

But the scene was... _destroyed_.

Levon gasped, exhaling a breath of fear.

Huge crumbs of white and rocks of marble were flying through the blue space of the Void; drifting about aimlessly as they glided out of view of the cockpit. Ivory towers were snapped into half and golden ornaments were dented and fragmented. From within the mute Liset, Levon could not believe his eyes. He was certain. _This_ was where _it_ was kept. Had _it_ been destroyed? It didn't make sense...the Tenno was still alive.

"What the hell..." Trey groaned.

"What was meant to be here?" Grett asked.

Before Levon could reply, another incessant beeping was heard. Alarms wailed.

"Proximity alert! To our left!" Freyarch shouted.

The group peered out of the cockpit.

A Grineer Galleon came rumbling through space and hovered over the Liset, smirking as it oppressed the Tenno aircraft with its sheer size. Two more Grineer Galleons joined soon after, surrounding the Liset quickly and enclosing the Tenno aircraft like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Impossible..." Felon muttered.

* * *

From within the cockpit, Captain Vor smirked.

Steam filled the Grineer Galleon as pipes were broken. Consoles were sparking, and systems malfunctioned. The Grineer crews bolted about, trying desperately to patch up their bruised ship. Grineer crew members held their aching brains together; their ships were never meant for Void travel, and their bodies were not cloned to be immune to Void exposure. Troops started to lose their minds, clawing whatever they could maniacally. But they were quickly dispatched by their comrades; who were struggling to compose themselves as well.

"Captain! We...-"

The Commander puked.

"We have to go back!" His words were mixed in with the disgusting stench of his vomit.

But Captain Vor did not relent. The old man breathed the cold air, still sane. Unlike his brothers, Vor was immune to the Void; all thanks to the Janus Key that was smiling proudly on his chest. Vor was surrounded in a golden bubble, which safely protected the man from the insanity of the Void.

Hands behind his back, Captain Vor sounded off his orders.

"Release the anchors."

"Old fool! You're crazy! Turn back no-..."

A Cronus impaled its way through the Commander's heart.

Vor drew back his sword; also giving off a clear signal that his authority still remained.

* * *

Anchors were shot out from all three Grineer Galleons, darting through the friction-less space and soon piercing the thick hull of the Liset; the hooks grappling firmly onto the Tenno ship.

A big hook drilled through the side of the Liset, almost stabbing Trey.

"Holy shit!" Trey fell to the floor.

"Freyarch! Get us out of here!"

"I can't! They have us tied to them!"

"Then fight back!"

Turrets emerged from the Liset.

Purple electricity started to sparkle out of the Grineer Galleons; travelling down the metal chains and eventually reaching the hooks. The anchors then released a massive pulse; frying the circuits of the Liset.

"Op...Oper-...OPeeaRatooRRrr!"

"Freyarch!"

The Liset's lights were killed.

Engines fried.

Turbines exploded.

Turrets retracted.

The view from the cockpit was now nothing but darkness; only illuminated by the turquoise light of the Void. And the atmosphere was nothing but silent as the four, now at their wit's ends, waited for the next moment to happen.

* * *

"Reel them in," Captain Vor ordered.

* * *

Within the Grineer Galleon, metal gears spun, pulling back the tight chains and allowing the anchors to retract back to the Grineer Galleons. The defenseless Liset was left at the mercy of Grineer strength as every tug on the chain only drew them closer to the humongous Grineer ships.

"Operator!" An orange Cephalon hovered over a console, breaking the dead silence in the Liset.

"Freyarch! You're still alive!"

"Not for...long." The console sparked; only proving the limited time the Cephalon had.

"I'm sorry buddy..."

"Operator...Arch-...Archwing."

Levon nodded. He turned to the three panicking operatives.

"Come on fellas."

The group made their way to another part of the Liset. In there, a mess of wires were all connected to a single source; a pair of wings that were suspended in mid-air.

"Odonata...I've heard of this." Felon inspected the Archwing in the darkness.

"Then you know what it's for." Levon pulled a lever. The ground under the Archwing creaked opened and the Void beneath them was visible now.

Their escape.

Levon jumped onto the Odonata; its systems coming to life as the wings latched onto the Warframe.

"Alright, hop on. Let's get out of here."

The operatives leaped onto the Archwing, grabbing whatever they could for their dear lives.

"Releasing in 3..."

The Odonata's engines roared.

"...2..."

Wires disconnected as the navy blue Archwing was released from suspension.

"1. It was a pleasure to serve you Operator."

"Goodbye Freyarch."

The Volt was shot out into space. The Odonata's turbines spun and the Archwing activated; leaving behind a trail of energy as Levon flew. Flying underneath the Liset, the group glided out of detection, all while the Liset was still being reeled in by the clueless Grineer.

Left alone in the Liset, the Cephalon could only think of one. last. trick.

"Alright you Grineer _FUCKS_. Have some of _this_." A countdown started in the Liset.

The Liset was inches away from the Grineer Galleons. With a final pull, the anchors were fully retracted and the Liset was now magnetized to the Grineer Galleons.

But not for long.

The countdown stopped.

"Hello boys! I'm hereeee-" Freyarch sung his last words.

The Liset's engines overloaded and an explosion was released. A massive ball of fire emerged from within the Liset and bloated bigger; expanding and engulfing the weak Grineer ships in flames. The sheer force of the gnawing flames shattered windows and the deadly smoke filled the interior of the Grineer Galleons. Eventually, the overwhelming pressure caused the Grineer Galleons themselves to become unstable.

The first Grineer Galleon ship exploded.

The second Grineer Galleon ship exploded.

Only fanning the huge ball of heat that was swallowing the third.

* * *

"Captain! Our drive core is unstable!"

"Get us out of here!" Captain Vor barked; his voice cracking to reveal some panic in the old man's heart.

But insanity got the better of _every single_ crew member.

 _"Too late, old man,"_ they chuckled.

Vor found himself betrayed by his now insane brothers.

But that didn't matter, for their time was up.

* * *

Vor's ship exploded.

Levon looked back at the blinding explosion as he flew. No one; no _Cephalon_ could have survived the blast.

"At least he didn't die in vain," Grett said.

Levon was approaching an ivory rock; presumably detached from the missing place.

"Let's find a way out of here."


	11. Chapter 11

"Sir! I don't understand these readings!"

"Neither do I!" Bob panicked over to another console; all of which were reflecting red. The frenzied state of the control room in Strata Relay only reflected one thing...something was approaching.

Something big.

No.

Something _beyond_ big.

"What the hell does this mean?!" Bob demanded, still unable to recognize what he was seeing.

"I'm not sure sir!" A man flipped through a book, trying to match what was presented on the screen to numbers in the book. Ultimately he tossed it aside, deeming it useless.

"Unknown object arrival in 3...2...1!"

A white ball darted out of space and parked itself next to Earth, smiling back at Strata Relay as it enjoyed its welcome and eventual stay. The console screens went back to their usual blue, confirming that Strata Relay was out of danger.

"What the hell.." Bob muttered.

* * *

The group rested on an white rock, breathing while they tried to gather their lost senses. Levon stood upright, hands on his hips as he observed the scene before his eyes. Some sort of black hole had formed in the Void; some sort of hollow tube that darted out of the Void and drilled out into the jet black space; also creating a pathway big enough to pull a planet out.

"I'm sorry about Freyarch," Felon sighed.

Levon shook his head.

"It's alright. But he would want us to find a way out of here, so let's do it. Any ideas?"

"Could that thing fly us out of here?" Trey asked, looking at the Archwing.

Levon shook his head again.

"This? Nope. It's built for space travel but it was never meant for _long-distance_ travel."

"I could try to send out a distress signal," Grett suggested.

"It would take too long to reach the nearest Relay. Or it might not reach at all, given the signal interference here." Levon shrugged the idea off.

The group remained silent for a while.

"Felon?" Levon hinted.

"Hm?" Felon continued to stare at a tall tower that had been circling the crumbled rock.

"I know you have a plan."

" _Maybe_."

"Don't be shy. I mean, we've survived worst." Grett gestured at the bunch of steaming hot debris floating behind them.

"That thing orbiting around us right now...that's an Orokin Tower," Felon articulated as he pointed at the golden structure that was drifting about in the Void.

"And how does that help us?" Grett questioned.

"Remember Gate Crash Grett? Weeks ago Strata Relay intercepted a Grineer transmission; the cloned faggots are using Void Keys to power up Torsion Beam Generators to force open a Void Portal. So-"

"So we can enter the portals from this side and end up back on another planet. Another _Grineer_ planet, sure, but at least out of the Void..." Levon finished the sentence, nodding in agreement.

"The Grineer would've left the Torsion Beam Generators here in case they want to come back. So all we need now is a Void Key."

"Which renders this plan useless! Where the hell can we find a Void Key?" Trey rebutted.

"Yeah, where..."

Felon looked at the exploded ships; peering through the fried bodies and hot metal debris to spot the only corpse that mattered. A Grineer whose body had been split into two; his top housing a golden Void Key.

The three operatives then locked their eyes onto Levon.

"What?"

"Thought you were doing all the...ahem...heavy lifting," Grett clarified.

"Fine...Wait for me here." Levon ambled over to the Odonata. The wings latched onto the Warframe comfortably and he was soon ready for another flight.

The Volt took off.

* * *

"Approaching debris field," Levon reported, his voice breaking the silence of the dead scene. He clawed his way through broken metal pieces and pushed himself forward, searching for the target amongst the carnage.

With another slight hover, Captain Vor's corpse floated into sight.

And on it, the Janus Key; still in perfect condition.

"I have eyes on the prize."

Levon flew forward, swimming to the dismembered corpse and clutching his hands onto Vor's cold arms. The Volt then shuffled his hands to the Janus Key, and easily plucked it off the Grineer's body.

"Levon? You got it?" Felon inquired.

"I got it. Hm. That was eas-"

" _TENNO_!" Captain Vor jerked upright and grabbed onto the Warframe, hugging the Volt in place.

The Janus Key sparkled, emitting a disturbing link that connected to the abdomen of the should-be-dead Grineer. The swirling energy at his waist burned brighter and started to reach out for his missing torso closer. His legs seemingly had a life of their own as they drifted closer, wiggling as they did.

" _Thief_!" He continued, trying to reclaim his Janus Key. The cloned arms wrapped around the Volt squeezed tighter now.

"Get off me you fucker!" Levon struggled, shaking violently as he tried to wiggle out of Vor's grip.

Levon finally remembered; _he was in a fucking Warframe._

Grabbing Vor's arms equally tight, Levon channeled his energy into his palms and fried the Grineer's arms with a jolt.

" _AAAGGHH_!" Vor's tight grip on the Volt relented as he painfully tried to shake the numbing pain off. With a kick to the stomach, or at least what was left of it, Levon pushed himself out of Vor's reach. Vor continued to scream as he drifted backwards through the friction-less Void; actually dead this time.

"What the hell was that?!" Levon shrieked as he watched the cursed Grineer disappear.

Not wanting to be anywhere near the damned place anymore, Levon quickly flew out of the debris field. The Odonata carried the Volt back to the three operatives who were sitting in a circle, waiting patiently for the Volt's return; as relaxed as they could be.

Levon landed shakily, the Odonata carelessly coming off the Warframe.

"Woah! You alright?" Trey asked.

"You look like crap," Felon continued.

"What? Me? Yeah! I'm fine! Nothing crazy or weird or spooky or abnormal or shitty happened back there! No! Nothing! I'm really fine!"

"He's not alright," Grett whispered to Felon.

"Yeah, maybe he remembered all the porn he watched before the Collapse."

"I got the Key! Let's go!" Levon finally chirped, boasting the Janus Key off triumphantly.

* * *

Four people skulked through an abandoned Orokin Tower carefully; observing their surroundings intently as they vigilantly raised their guns to their chests and not allowing a strand of detail to escape their eyes.

"Careful, these Towers are rigged with traps beyond our capabilities," Levon sounded off, pointing his Angstrum straight.

A door ahead of them twisted opened as they neared it; a dormant machine was presented inside as it idly sat on a raised platform.

A device painted in white and decorated with golden ornaments with blue energy flowing through it. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that that was something Orokin; or something _related_. The tip of the machine pointed at a giant, empty hole. Like the machine, the portal had been dormant as well. Two consoles sat at the front of the open hole.

Levon made his way over to the machine and inspected it. A hole had been drilled into the back of the device; a hole matching the Janus Key that he was gripping firmly in his hands. He pieced everything together.

"Alright, _this_ must be the Torsion Beam Generator. And _this_ is where the Void Key goes to." Levon comfortably pushed the Janus Key into the hole.

"Fits like a glove," Felon commented, walking by the Beam Generator.

"It's...not working?" Trey questioned. The Torsion Beam Generator was still inactive despite having a perfect Void Key inserted into it.

"We have to activate the consoles first. That way the Generator will work; that way we will have our portal," Levon explained as he brushed his hands across a console, sweeping off the specks of dusts that were sitting on the abandoned console. The Volt pressed a button on the console.

The procedure started.

A golden beam boiled out of the Janus Key and went for the ceiling; also causing a laser to shoot out of the tip of the Torsion Beam Generator and hit the circular hole. A doorway of pure energy started to swirl at the mouth of the hole, forming their needed portal.

"Alright, it's starting!" Grett announced, watching the portal expand bigger.

"As soon as the process is halfway completed we'll activate the second con-"

"Levon. We get it...we're not _that_ dumb," Felon interrupted.

Aside from the noise of the Beam Generator working and the Void Portal forming, the room was silent as the group continued to oversee the creation of their way back home.

Something Levon appreciated; for he heard something.

The Volt turned around and faced the door they had entered from; the grip on his Angstrum tighter now.

 _Footsteps._


	12. Chapter 12

The group took cover behind golden railings, aiming their guns with their eyes alert as the footsteps were only getting louder.

"You guys ready?" Levon whispered.

"Yeap." Grett's body tingled with adrenaline.

The door opened.

A man was presented.

Black smoke surrounded the figure as a line of red energy protruded the thick fog; a black scythe held in his violent hand.

"Oh no..." Felon muttered, turning to Grett. The two experienced operatives knew who the man was. Trey on the other hand, was only confused as he continued to point his Baza Rifle, unsure. The visitor was dressed as a Tenno; not an enemy right?

"Bad guy?" Levon asked.

" _Very_ bad." Felon's eye never left the man at the doorway.

" _You may not remember, Tenno..._ " The Stalker started to advance, a hand griping his Hate and the other hand brushing the golden railings as he marched down the pathway leading to the portal.

"Don't move!" The operatives rose, aiming their muzzles at the black Excalibur with no intention to miss.

" _Guns. How cute._ " The Stalker stopped in his tracks, but already ready to kill.

"Wait." Levon stood up. "What do you want?"

" _You_." The Stalker pointed his scythe at the Volt's heart. " _Come with me and your friends can live_."

"And then _he'll_ die! We know what you do you maniac!" Grett barked.

" _Well then let's play this smartly shall we? First I will kill you three wimps as your arsenals are inconsequential to mine. Then, I will easily best the Volt and retrieve him while you three bleed your hearts dry_."

The room remained silent.

" _So. What shall it be_?"

A console behind beeped incessantly to finally break the silence; signaling that the portal's creation was 50 percent complete. Trey rushed over to the second console and continued the remaining half.

Levon whispered something into Felon's ear, then faced The Stalker. Before Felon could even process what he heard, Levon spoke.

"Alright, you want me. Leave them alone." Levon walked to The Stalker, surrendering with his empty hands raised.

" _Wise choice_."

The Stalker headbutted Levon, making the Volt trip backwards and fall to the ground. He then picked Levon up by his leg and dragged him down the pathway, dragging him out of sight of the operatives. Trey and Grett both raised their guns; only to have Felon put his hands on their guns and lower them.

"What the hell are you doing?! He's gonna die!" Grett complained.

"Trey." Felon turned to the man. "I need you to turn the power in the Beam Generator up by 300 percent."

"Are you crazy?! That will-"

"Just do it."

Trey shook his head in disbelief and rushed over to a console. His fingers began to fly across the console's keyboard as he inputted the deadly command.

"Felon!" Grett clutched Felon's arm. "What are you doing man?!"

Felon whispered into Grett's ears the exact words Levon whispered into his.

"Ah...smart cookie isn't he."

Trey looked back when he was done.

The Torsion Beam Generator boiled with more energy and the Void Key started to shake about violently. Beams of energy started to shoot out in all directions like a rogue laser ball; shooting out with more power as the beams started to drill into the room. What was once a stable device transformed into nothing but an instrument of destruction now. The ceiling cracked and pillars crumbled. The foundation of the room was starting to give way and it was only a matter of time before the room fell upon itself.

"Levon! Now!" Felon shouted at the top of his lungs.

* * *

On the other side of the room ,The Stalker continued to drag what he believed was a defenseless Volt.

Little did he know, Levon had a trick up his sleeve.

"Levon! Now!" Felon's voice echoed throughout the hallway.

Before The Stalker could react, Levon kicked The Stalker off him. Getting up instantly, Levon did the opposite of fighting back.

He ran.

With a surge of energy, Levon sprinted out of sight, leaving behind a trail of pale energy as he ran at a speed too quick for anyone to witness.

" _Maggot_!" The Stalker roared, chasing after the Volt.

* * *

Too quick to catch, Levon dashed into the room.

"How we looking?" Levon panted.

"Portal's at 98 percent! We _have_ to go once it's completed!" Trey bellowed.

"Ah fuck! He's back!" Felon bawled, firing his Strun. But The Stalker deflected every bullet with his scythe, leaving him unharmed and leaving Felon to realize that his weapon was useless.

" _You_!" The Stalker pointed his scythe at the Volt again. " _You belong to me_!"

"Slavery ended in 1865 dumbass!" Levon taunted. A taunt that was well received, for The Stalker started to run down the pathway with rage.

A chime was given off.

The portal was completed; the planet on the other end now visible.

"Go! I'll be right behind you!" Levon ordered, gesturing for the operatives to use the portal.

The operatives leaped into the air, jumping through the portal and landing on whatever was waiting on the other side.

Just before Levon could do the same, something stopped him. The Stalker wrapped his arms around the Volt and threw him backwards.

" _I am your reckoning_!" The Stalker twirled his scythe.

"Alright, you wanna dance? Let's dance."

Levon rolled forward, unsheathing his Nikana in a fluid motion and began to cut left and right, up and down. But The Stalker was equally good. The man swung with his Hate; both literally and figuratively, parrying every forceful strike that Levon threw. A flurry of powerful strikes were exchanged between the two, their strikes so sharp that they cut anyone who dared to even eye the fight.

The two charged forward...

and clashed.

* * *

On the other side...

The operatives stared at the portal, still seeing no sight of their friend.

"We can't do anything," Grett solemnly said. "It's a one way portal."

"Come on Levon..." Felon silently cheered.

* * *

A loose rock rained down from the ceiling, interrupting the fight. The two carelessly dived out of the way, narrowly avoiding being squashed by the heavy boulder.

Levon looked around.

The room was starting to collapse as the Torsion Beam Generator overloaded with energy. The Void Key was already unstable at this point of time, vibrating violently and the beams cracking the place as if the room was nothing but a weak egg shell.

The Stalker rose to his feet. Not offering a moment for The Stalker to recover, Levon threw himself forward and tackled The Stalker to the floor, giving him an uppercut to his black helmet to finish things off.

Levon then headed for the portal.

But The Stalker wouldn't relent. With his dark energy, The Stalker pulled the Volt to the floor.

The Stalker pounced into the air, slamming his scythe down. In the nick of time, Levon rolled out of the way; the tip of the blade cutting into the floor he had been lying on earlier.

Levon rose to his feet.

The Stalker swung his scythe.

But the Volt was ready.

Levon twirled out of the way, dodging the lethal blade and then jumping into the air, giving a left hook that stunned The Stalker. Taking the opportunity, Levon kicked the dazed Stalker in his groin before picking him up and hurling him down the hallway.

Still not conceding, The bruised Stalker shakily got to his weak feet again.

" _You will not leave this place_!" The Stalker breathed his wounds off.

"Oh I don't think so," Levon smirked. He glanced upwards; he had The Stalker exactly where he wanted him to be.

A piece of the ceiling cracked open and dropped down, falling onto an unfortunate someone standing below.

" _You want to go through that portal?! You have to go through m-_ " The ceiling flattened The Stalker. Smoke started to fill the underneath while more rubble rained down; the man either dead now or had escaped.

" _I...have failed..._ " his faint words wavered.

Before Levon could bathe in victory, the room shook once again to remind the Volt that he had to leave _now_. More rocks screamed above and fell down, the room collapsing and the overworked Torsion Beam Generator crumpling everything that once stood inside the beautiful Orokin Tower. A rock plummeted down; a meteor aiming for the Volt.

Levon jumped.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's note: Pretty late, but Merry Christmas everyone! Now this is not late: And a Happy New Year! :D_

* * *

The operatives looked, still having no sight of their friend.

"Is he...dead?" Trey sighed.

"No one's dying today," Felon asserted, his fist clenched as he held on hope that their friend had not perished.

Levon emerged through the portal and rolled to the floor clumsily; just before the portal abruptly closed and sent a clear message that whatever stood on the other side was nothing but a destroyed history now.

Levon shook his head as he sat idly on the floor.

"Levon! You alright?!"

"Yeah. Gave that guy a good beating." Levon rose from the floor, glancing around at the lush vegetation and trying to figure out which planet they had arrived on.

"Where the hell are we?"

"Console says we have arrived on...wow. _Earth_. How exciting," Felon deadpanned, looking at a console.

"Right. Even better. We're closer to where we need to be," Levon replied.

"And where do we need to be?" Trey questioned.

"Come. I'll show you." Levon beckoned for the operatives to follow him.

The Volt walked out of the dense canopy they were hiding under and out into the open.

He pointed to the sky.

"What the hell is that..." Grett muttered.

"That? That is Lua."

An ancient planet with golden circles on its surface shone from above, beaming soft moonlight onto the night forest of Earth and smiling down at the operatives.

"Where is everyone?" Trey's voice echoed throughout the empty Grineer base.

"They were all probably sent to investigate Lua. And we have to go. _Now_."

"I'l call Strata Relay. They can send someone over," Felon replied.

"No. _Now_. Before it's too late."

Levon pointed at an empty Grineer hangar; all the ships had been hastily boarded by the troops that once stood in this base. But, an armoured green ship with orange decorations pasted carelessly onto its body was still sitting there lonely, gathering dust.

"You guys can fly one of those things?"

"That thing? It's called a Bolkor. A Grineer troop carrier," Felon articulated.

"Yeap. Don't care. Can you fly it?" Levon repeated.

"Maybe. Let's see if it even _can_ fly. It got left behind for a reason."

The group walked up the agape hatch of the abandoned ship, entering its messy interior.

Felon swept his hands across the dusty console, coughing as he accidentally whiffed the specks of dirt that flew into the air. His fingers glided across the keyboard as Felon tried to figure out if the ship was still indeed, a ship. A screen came to life when he was done, showing Felon a full report on the state of the Grineer ship.

"The ship is still in good condition but there's not enough power left in the generator," he translated the Grineer words.

"We need to fry this thing up if we want to fly."

"Well, look who you're talking to," the Volt chuckled.

"You sure about this?"

"No harm trying." Levon walked down the hatch of the Bolkor and inspected the hull.

The Volt leaped onto the top of the Grineer ship and pried open a loose metal piece. Inside, a tangle of loose, burnt wires greeted him as Levon fumbled around the broken interior to look for the worn out generator. Soon, his helmet highlighted a certain piece of metal.

Levon reached for the circular object.

"Alright, I found the generator."

"You guys might wanna hold on," Felon hinted, his head turned backwards to face Grett and Trey.

"It might be a rough take off," he continued.

"Alright! Levon! You ready?" Felon banged onto the hull of the ship.

"Yeap."

"Charge it up!"

With power, sparks snapped on the Volt's arms and a current flowed down to his hands; still gripping firmly on the generator.

But nothing happened.

Felon checked the orange display again.

"It's not working! We still don't have enough power!" Felon banged on the hull incessantly.

Levon sighed.

He gripped the generator tighter now. The Volt channeled whatever energy he had left within his frame, charging the generator up with a jolt that would fry any living being instantly. The Warframe became a light show as Levon grunted. Massive, messy sparks of electricity started to dance around the generator.

From within the ship, all the operatives could see was a blinding, flashing pulse of light through the cockpit's screen.

Exhausted and out of energy, Levon's grip on the generator loosened and he drew his weak hand back. He could still feel the numbing tingles of the powerful shock biting his arm.

Within the cockpit, Felon gritted his teeth as the display on the console still stated a low power.

The generator beeped.

The circular object powered up with a visible blue energy that flowed outwards from within it, rushing through wires and into the ship's engines. Audible beeps and clanks were heard as the engine revived and dusty turbines began to spin again.

Felon banged on the hull happily.

Knowing that the trick worked, Levon returned back into the ship.

"Told you," the Volt chriped. "No harm trying."

"That looked pretty painful," Felon replied, a hand moving to the Bolkor's joystick, the other hand moving to close the hatch of the ship.

"Alright. Hold on!" The pilot commanded.

Felon pushed the joystick forward.

The Bolkor lifted off, a surge of force making the ship dart forward when the abandoned ship flew again. Grett and Trey slid off their seats; their hands reaching for anything they could squeeze that prevented them from falling down.

Levon held onto the pilot's chair.

"You said you know how to fly this thing!"

"I said maybe!" Felon bellowed, trying his best to maneuver the old Grineer ship.

"It's in control!"

But the view from the cockpit proved the man's words otherwise as the sky floated past the windshield, the Earth's grass coming into sight.

The Bolkor started to head downwards.

"I didn't expect us to land so soon!" Levon shouted; his clutch on the pilot's chair tighter now.

"IT'S IN CONTROL!" Felon pulled the joystick back. But they were still heading down to the ground despite the man's efforts.

The grass began to get close.

"Felon!" Levon shouted.

"Felon!" Grett shouted, his grip on whatever he was tugging tighter now.

"Aaaarrgggghhhh!" Felon tugged the joystick back with strength.

The Bolkor started to tilt upwards and the sky came into sight again; the nose of the ship finally pointing in the correct direction, the Bolkor turning at the last second to prevent a horrific crash. Felon's panicked grip on the joystick became a comfortable hold as the man started to adapt to the unfamiliar Grineer technology.

"Like I said..." Felon wrapped his hands firmly around the joystick. " _It's in control,_ " he smirked.

"I'm not sure if that qualifies," Levon panted.

The Bolkor sped for Lua.

* * *

On the white planet, a war had already broken out. Grineer troops too incapable of thinking for themselves had been firing their rounds at greedy, profit-driven Corpus ever since the once rumored to be destroyed planet had resurfaced again.

A crossfire that seemed to be never ending all over the planet.

All except one place...

In a certain, silent chamber, a girl looked intently at a giant hole that had formed in the Reservoir. An Ember stood still behind her. Counting the pods laid out in front of her, she came to an urgent, solemn conclusion.

"Shit."

* * *

"We're approaching," Felon announced, Lua's surface in view of the windshield now.

"Do you know how to land...?" Grett asked doubtfully.

Felon gulped.

"Right...about that..." Felon looked back.

"Ah come on!" Grett yelled, the white planet coming closer now. He gripped whatever he had been pulling on earlier.

"Hold on!" Felon barked back.

Grineer Lancers and Corpus Crewmen stopped their little fight as they all looked up at a ship approaching at a speed too fast for a proper landing. Soon, they realised that the pilot had no control of the Bolkor that was speeding towards the surface. The troops began to scatter, running for their lives as they sprinted away from the imminent crash.

"Felon! I don't wanna die today!" Trey cried.

"We're not gonna die!" Felon insisted.

"I don't wanna die!"

"We're not gonna dieeee!"

Felon shut his eyes as land was inches away.

The Bolkor crashed into Lua like a meteor, squashing and crashing into whatever troops that had been too dumbfounded to move away. Within the cockpit, the operatives jerked up and down as the ship dug through tiles. The Bolkor continued to plough through the floor, leaving a valley of broken rubble behind. Slowly, the Grineer ship came to a shrilling halt as friction finally equaled the ship's forceful crash.

The Bolkor plodded to a stop and dropped heavily back down on its feet.

The operatives were jerked back upright as their seat belts forcefully pulled them back to their seats. Grett and Trey breathed as the scene reduced to a silence as opposed to the screeching and screaming they heard just mere seconds ago.

Levon looked up, peeking behind the pilot's chair and then facing the _capable_ pilot.

Felon ripped off his black mask to pant his heavy breaths. Sweeping his hair back, the man declared while smiling:

"Another happy landing."


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's note: Sorry for the late upload everyone. A) My brain is in a bit of a fart right now due to me trying to sort out the next part of the story and B) School has started along with all the real life shit that we all deal with. Uploads will be infrequent because of this but rest assured I will not be giving up on this story._

* * *

The four exited the crashed Bolkor.

Trey glanced around at the destroyed Orokin site; a broken wall of ivory rocks crumbled down whilst an endless fight between the Corpus and the Grineer continued to rage on somewhere behind them. The sound of gunfire never got old.

What was new however was Levon's change in attitude.

The Volt pushed past Felon, toppling the man over as he trotted into Lua.

Felon dusted himself off. "What's the matter with him?"

"Seems like someone is in a hurry," Grett replied. "Trey! Let's go!"

* * *

Levon's pace sped up to a brisk walk now. The Volt had seemingly changed personalities as the once cheerful Tenno became nothing but a Warframe radiating an aura of dead seriousness. He had refused to answer the operatives while he rushed deeper and faster into the destroyed complex; obviously slaughtering any enemies that dared to stop him.

"Levon!" Felon put a firm hand on the Volt's shoulder. "The fuck's the matter with you?"

Not appreciating time's generosity, the Volt rushed his words.

"I sense something irregular within me. I have to get to myself now, before it's too late."

"Yourself? What are you talking about? Too late for wha-"

The Grineer interrupted their conversation.

Gunshots from familiar hostile Grakatas fired without warning. Ill-prepared, the groups first instinct was to dive for cover, leaping behind fallen ivory rocks or pillars of Orokin design and silently hoped that the fragile infrastructure would protect them.

Having to think of an idea fast, Felon looked to a door on his right. He then looked back at Trey and Levon, both taking cover behind a broken column, with a race of bullets separating them from Felon and Grett.

"Once they reload, run like hell!" Felon barked over the incessant gunfire.

Trey and Levon returned a hasty nod.

Eventually and as hoped for, the Grakata's clips became nothing but air and the magazines depleted. The Grineer stopped their violence and for a moment there was silence as they all speedily reloaded their guns with a clank.

"Now!" Felon roared.

The group sprinted for the door, the Grineer unable to catch the fast, agile creatures as they dashed out of sight as fast as the wind blew. Rushing for their lives, the group continued to run. The didn't know where they were going or if they were going to meet more enemies. They only knew to run, run for their lives.

After some time, the group arrived at a crossroad; a pathway leading to the right and another to the left, both pathways having golden doors at the end of them. Taking a chance, Felon led the group towards the door on the right.

Until Levon stopped in his tracks.

"Levon?! It's this way!"

The Volt looked to a door on the left.

He felt it.

His destination.

Unwilling to listen to the operatives calls, his body started to twist to the left; his legs ready to advance.

"Levon!"

It was too late.

The Grineer had sneaked up on them.

Rushing in from the entranceway the group had entered, they fired their guns once again; the gunfire nothing but a sudden alarm that caught the operatives off-guard. Instinctively, the operatives ran for cover once again. But Trey hadn't been so lucky. The man was caught by the Grineer, a lethal bullet penetrating his fleshy leg and making him trip to the floor.

Levon looked back as Trey fell, the Volt absorbing whatever bullets came his way with his shields like a champ.

Trey yelped for help as he laid down on the floor, a pool of blood oozing out from the deep wound. His hand stretched out to the Volt; a desperate plea for Levon's help.

But Levon...refused.

The Volt turned his back on the dying operative, marching for the door he had been so keen on entering earlier. Nothing holding him back anymore, he had finally arrived at his destination.

Dumbfounded, Grett and Felon had to return their attention to their vulnerable friend.

"Trey!" Grett rushed out of cover.

A barrage of bullets fired at the red-suited man.

Felon pulled him back just in time.

A barrage of bullets continued to shower the column the two males were hiding behind.

"He's gonna die!" Grett yelled.

"Do you want to die too?! We have no choice!"

"But..."

"I'm sorry!" Felon looked at Trey. The man was lying still on the floor, his chest still heaving but his body too wounded to move.

The gunfire stopped.

Footsteps were heard as the Grineer closed in on Trey.

Felon pulled the impatient Grett behind their cover, engulfing themselves in the darkness and hiding in the shadows.

"Take this one back! He has information!" The Grineer Commander ordered.

Mercilessly, the troops swooped Trey up by his dangling arms and dragged him away like a lifeless piece of rug. A trail of fresh blood was left behind as his injury continued to bleed like a running tap, the operative crying in pain.

His cries soon became softer...then unheard.

Felon peeked out.

The scene was clear now; nothing but broken bullets and a trail of crimson blood left behind now.

"Alright. We still have time. Come on," Felon beckoned.

The two survivors dashed in the direction the Grineer had took, following what their friend had bled behind.

* * *

Levon looked around.

A beautiful sight.

 _The Reservoir._

Golden pods were presented as bright white tentacles dropped down from the dripping wet ceiling and suspended the pods in the air; a pod hovering towards Levon as the Volt got nearer to himself.

The pod nestled nicely onto the ground.

Everything was so... _calm_.

Levon knelt down on both knees, the Tenno finally being able to collect himself.

The pod opened.

* * *

Felon stopped in his tracks, raising his fist into the air and gave a signal to stop.

The two crouched and looked.

The Grineer were retreating; the troops boarding their little ships with whatever they had scavenged from the battered Lua or whoever they could capture from the endless crossfire they had proudly participated in earlier.

Trey included.

A Grineer ship flew overhead the two operatives, shaking the air above them as it flew out into space.

Felon squinted his eyes.

He spotted his friend.

There was only one ship left by now; all the other Grineer troops had evacuated and Trey was about to board the last shuttle. They had to think of something fast otherwise their friend would be out of their reach forever.

"What's the plan?" Grett asked, urgent.

"Let me think."

"Come on!"

"Let me think."

Before he could think, the two operatives witnessed something they had never seen before, and thought that they never had to.

"Oh fuck..." Felon muttered with a dead breath.

Two beings with similar structure but different arms swooped down from above; even the Grineer had to gaze at the two things drop down.

 _Helpless_.

One old figure holding skull-smashing red batons for its weapon and the other ancient fighter with arms capable of firing deadly projectiles; their faces two without expression or mercy.

The Conculyst and Battalyst landed.

 _Silence._

Then a carnage.

The Conculyst flew for the Grineer troops like an unexpected bullet. Then, using its batons, the Sentient smashed heads and broke cloned bones while it spun around in a tornado of blood and pain. All while the Battalyst stood its unchallenged ground and shot a barrage of explosive energy that blew anyone that didn't react in time back. The Grineer tried their best to fight back; but their bullets doing nothing except harden the amour of the two slayers.

It all happened so fast.

One moment there had been a squadron of oppressing Grineer Lancer, and the next, only two beings remained alive.

 _Three_.

They must have missed out Trey; for the weak operative tried to rise from the ground.

The operative's breath drew their attention.

Hovering over to the man, the Battalyst pulled Trey's head upwards, making sure his eyes able to witness what was coming.

The Conculyst inched its way to Trey's head, aligning its baton for the exposed head below.

The Conculyst lifted its arm.

 _An execution_.

It swung down.

The baton hit.

The neck hit.

Trey's nape snapped into two audibly, the voice of the bone smashing echoing throughout the now silent Lua; his head becoming nothing but a dangling ball at the end of his body now.

The man dead.

The Sentients dropped him, adding a corpse to the pile.

" **NOOOOO!** " Grett screamed.

Felon covered his mouth in horror, and started to pull Grett away. He knew that they were definitely no match for the Sentients; staying here would only result in them ending up like their friend.

They had to run.

"NO..." Grett cried again.

The two Sentients looked, only being able to catch a glimpse of a man in a black suit dragging away a sad man in his red costume.

Relentless, they followed.


	15. Chapter 15

_Footsteps_.

The Children hurdled in the corner, scared.

Not scared of what was coming.

Scared of themselves.

Usual inexplicable energy boiled at their palms despite their attempts to suppress the influence of Void on them to the minimum.

Levon turned to Francis.

"Franc...I'm...I'm scared..."

Francis looked back, a face that could not be forgotten; a face that made Levon forget all his worry as he banked all his trust into Francis.

A face Levon knew for sure; this was a brother to count on.

"I've always got your back."

The footsteps got loud.

The big door of the Cargo Bay opened.

 _They_ stood at the doorway.

Not the insane Infested.

Not the primitive Grineer.

Not the greedy Corpus scavengers.

But _them_.

A beautiful lie.

Men dressed in ivory armour with golden ornaments precisely carved and fitted onto their intricate weapons stood still, not afraid nor backing away. They continued to eye the Children, their failures of an undisclosed experiment; the youngsters they've sent, now back with an unrestrained hate that could be seen flaming within their watery eyeballs.

Of course they hated them.

The Orokin were the ones who sent them flying for utopia.

Francis was the first to get to his exhausted, shivering feet.

The General advanced.

He laid his armoured hand onto Francis's shoulder.

A blinding pulse of a Void explosion blasted the Orokin away.

But the Children remained unmoved.

The Orokin soldiers raised their golden spears, enclosing the Children and pushing them back into the corner.

Levon held Francis's hand, cowering behind Diana, obviously still scared by the men in white.

Francis stood his ground, igniting a spark of rebellion amongst the children.

The carnage began.

 _Sacred blood._

Francis dashed through the hated soldiers and blasted them from behind; their faces splatting apart when they rammed against the giant window of the Cargo Bay as their armour did nothing but add to the weight of their flying momentum,

Diana was a brave girl; no, woman. The girl blazed her palms with a controlled energy drawn from within and fired it at the Orokin Soldiers, setting them ablaze as other children shot a beam of pure energy from their bodies, vaporising the soldiers to finish them off.

Scared, Levon found himself cornered by a few Orokin men.

He tried to do his _usual thing_.

But he couldn't; the Void Energy that once boiled seemed to have reduced to nothing but a still water as his heart raced faster.

Fearful, he screamed for help; for Francis's name.

The Orokin Soldiers found themselves facing a terrified, _ordinary_ boy.

The bigger men swooped the small child up, holding a lethal knife at his throat to demonstrate their violent resolve.

The conflict in the Cargo Bay stopped for a moment; not much of a fight was left anyways, the only remaining Orokin men were the three imposing males holding Levon at knife-point.

Francis turned; his best friend in danger. Held at death by three soldiers reflexes faster than a naked eye can witness, what could he do to fight the well-trained fighters?

His brain churned a quick idea out; he talked to Diana.

"Alright!" Francis raised his empty hands up into the air. "What do you want?!"

"The Seven want to witness all of you. Your survival is a miracle for the Orokin, and we Orokins seldom find miracles."

"Let him go, and we'll come with you," Francis offered.

"No, Francis! You know what they'll do with us!" Levon struggled.

Francis smirked.

"Not if we do it to them first."

The Soldiers blinked, the one hugging Levon ready to pull the knife back and slit the boy's throat when his trained ears heard the obvious threat.

But the Children were faster.

Diana and two other children emerged from their cloak of Void Energy; their hands had phased through the soldier's chest and now held within them were the dripping hearts of Orokin men.

The soldiers toppled forward, a crimson hole punched through their finely designed armour.

"Like I said..." Francis smiled, taking a deep breath.

 _"I've always got your back."_


End file.
